And Then
by Whisperwings
Summary: Leaving Arianna and Marina at the end of the Fellowship, a new adventure is now starting. Read on to find out what happens to these lovely ladies and their part in the epic tale of The Two Towers.
1. Chapter 1

And then…

And then…

Chapter 1

Arianna ran. She'd been running for two days, and hadn't stopped yet, but she was going good. In fact, she felt like she could keep going forever. She had always loved to run; it was time to think and a time not to think, depending on what she felt like at the time. It was better than on the river, where not thinking about things didn't work as there was nothing to distract you. But while running, they had interesting scenery and rocks to watch out for. She had to keep one eye on the tracks of the Uruk-hai they were following, and drink from the water skin she had hung from her belt for easy reach.

She stopped. She looked around, then knelt down and put her ear on the ground. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She heard the footsteps of her companions first. Legolas ran at a steady pace, like her, and never seemed to tire. She heard him stop where she was, waiting for her update on their quarry. Aragorn, her twin brother, was next. He was able to run for long periods of time, but had never done anything of this magnitude before. He was starting to get a bit tired, she could tell. Although he hid it well, his footsteps had become heavier. He was about to join her and Legolas where they'd stopped. Gimli was starting to fall a bit behind. The first day, he had been able to stay with the group, despite his shorter legs. But the dwarf wasn't built for long treks in the wilderness, and was getting tired. His pace was steady, but he was slower, and his footsteps heavier than the rest of the groups. But he had kept his good humor, and didn't seem to mind…much. Arianna blocked out the sound of her companions, and found what she was searching for. The large group of heavy Uruk-hai was easy to spot from even a great distance. There was nothing else like them; their footsteps had a sort of hollow drumming sound. Their pace had been steady as well unfortunately. But they were slower than their pursuers and apparently hadn't realized that they were being tracked at all. She prayed that they wouldn't notice until it was too late and stood. A small owl landed on her shoulder.

"Ery!" she said in surprise. "I thought we left you in the forest back there. You're not made for open land my friend." Erynion gave a happy chirp and stayed where he was. Legolas chuckled.

"I don't think he'll ever stop following you, Firefly."

"I've never had such a stubborn owl before, usually they're perfectly happy to be set free again." But she was smiling and she scratched the owlet on his forehead.

"What about the Uruk-hai?" Legolas asked her.

"They're still going steady but we're catching up. Come on!" she cried, encouraging the other two to hurry. Legolas took off after her, Aragorn sighed but continued running. He had just reached his sister and had been hoping for a breather. Gimli simply grumbled to himself and kept his pace.

--

Pippin's arms ached. His wrists had been tied and he was hung around the neck of an Uruk-hai like a sack of potatoes. And the thought of potatoes almost made his stomach growl. Almost because the smell of their captors was enough to turn his stomach and make him lose his appetite. He turned and checked on Marina for the hundredth time in the past five minutes alone. She still hadn't woken up. The Uruks had hit her over the head after only a half an hour of traveling since she caused such a fuss. And she'd been knocked out since. Pippin was growing very worried about her and wished he could do something. As the group entered an area between two cliffs, Pippin called out to his friend.

"Mari. Mari!" she didn't respond, just hung limply. The large group thundered to a halt and a few orcs came out of hiding. Pippin didn't pay attention to what they were saying, he was too busy calling to Marina. "Mari! Mari wake up!" he realized it was futile and turned to the Uruk who'd come to check up on them. "Please, my friend is sick. She needs water, please!" he begged. He was surprised at himself; he'd never been one to stand up to anyone, it had always been Marina who was the brave one. He realized that if he didn't take on her job for now though, that she may not live to ever be stubborn and brave again. The Uruk smiled and Pippin's hope faltered.

"Sick is she? Let's give her some medicine boys!" he called out and the others cheered. Another Uruk grabbed Marina's chin and poured something that was _not_ water down the poor girl's throat. She choked as Pippin protested.

"No! Stop it!" he said, almost in a panic. The Uruk stopped as the leader bellowed laughter.

"She can't hold her draught!"

"Leave her alone!" Pippin cried out.

"Why, you want some? Huh? Then keep your mouth shut." The Uruk-hai leader snapped and turned away back to the front of the line. Pippin turned back to Marina who was coughing slightly.

"Mari?" he asked softly. Marina turned to him, slightly dazed still, but smiling at him.

"Hello Pip." She said weakly. She licked her lips, grimaced, then wiped her chin on her shoulder the best she could to clean off the spilt liquid.

"You're hurt." Pippin pointed out, worried.

"I'm fine. It was just an act." She said.

"An act?" Pippen asked, confused.

"See? I fooled you too. You don't have to worry about me Pippin, I'll be fine." She said with a weak chuckle. Then she closed her eyes once again and fell asleep. Pippin allowed a soft sad smile to grace his features. He knew Marina too well to argue, but he also knew she was lying through her teeth. Even when she was hurt, she was still looking out for him. He smiled, and made a promise to himself that he wouldn't be such a burden on her any more. Then one of the Uruks gave a great sniff.

"What is it, what do you smell?" one asked him.

"Man-flesh." The Uruk answered. Pippin's eyes widened.

"Arianna…" he whispered.

"They've picked up our trail!" an Uruk shouted and signaled for them all to move out. Hope blossomed in Pippin's chest, knowing that the female ranger was hot on their trail. The least he could do was help her out. He angled his chin under the collar of the Elvin cloak which he'd gotten in Lothlórian. He gripped the leaf shaped broach in his teeth and tugged until it ripped from the fabric. He then spat it on the ground, hoping to show Arianna that she was going in the right direction.

--

They ran through the night, Ery perched on Arianna's left shoulder, where he tucked his head under his wing, and slept. She was surprised he didn't fall off. The next morning, the sun came up brilliantly, inspiring them all and lending them strength. Once again, Arianna stopped and listened through the ground. She heard the Uruk-hai run, then stop for a few minutes. Puzzled, she heard others join them, but then they started running again, faster this time. She looked up from the ground.

"Their pace has quickened, they must have caught our scent." She said. She turned to the others behind her. "Hurry!" she called, the urgency in her voice made them start going a bit faster, and they continued. Arianna heard Gimli start complaining.

"Three days and nights pursuit…no food, no rest, and no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell." He said grumpily and out of breath.

"I would suggest you listen to the bare rock, Master Dwarf," Aragorn told him, "And there's no better interpreter than Ari." Up ahead, Arianna laughed. She really loved this group; they had fun no matter what they were doing.

They ran over the plains. They dodged large rock formations, some of whish were truly incredible, and ran along the edges of cliffs. Late that afternoon, they entered a valley. Arianna slowed and looked at the tracks. The ground was very soft, and there were Orc foot prints everywhere. It seemed they had stopped here. Something glinting drew her eye. She went over and knelt, picking up a brooch identical to her own. Shaped like a leaf and veined with silver, it shone in her hand, even through the mud caked on it. They had been a gift from the elves in Lothlórian forest and were not easily lost. A few threads of green were caught in the clasp. It hadn't been opened, simply ripped off of the cloak.

"We were meant to find this. I can feel it. They know we're following, and Mari or Pippin is trying to show us that we're going in the right direction." Legolas stopped next to her.

"They may yet be alive." He said hopefully.

"I think they must be. The party is less than a day ahead of us, come on." She stood and started running again. Legolas and Aragorn followed close behind.

"Come Gimli!" she heard Legolas say behind her, "We're gaining on them!"

"I'm wasted on cross-country." The dwarf answered tiredly. "We dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances!" She smiled and ran up the hill in front of her. At the top, she stopped and looked at the land before them. The others stopped next to her along the ridge.

"Rohan." Aragorn told them. "Home of the horse-lords."

"There's something wrong here." Arianna said quietly. "Some evil gives the Uruk-hai speed. They would normally be stopped by a patrol or something, but they're still going. Something here has set its will against us." Legolas had left in the middle of her muttering, and now stood on a ridge in front of them.

"Legolas! What can you see?" she called to him.

"The Uruks have turned northeast." He called back. "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!"

"Saruman." Gimli growled. Arianna looked at him and Aragorn put a hand on his shoulder. Then she started running again, passing Legolas, and they went down into the land of Rohan. They ran, and as the sun set, Gimli started muttering to himself.

"Keep breathing, that's the key. Breathe! Hooh…"

"They run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them." Legolas said.

"Probably faster, we're a lot scarier." Arianna called back to him. She heard Aragorn laugh.

"Yes, Ari, you are so very terrifying with that tiny owl on your shoulder." He said. Said owl suddenly took off, and dived at Aragorn. He yelled and almost fell backwards as Ery flew up from the ground, a dead vole in his mouth. Now Arianna laughed at him.

"Well he certainly scares you, doesn't he?" she said to him, and laughed again as he grumbled to himself.

--

Marina felt a sharp jolt as she was dropped onto the ground. Her arms tingled painfully from the sudden blood circulation and she groaned, hugging them close to her chest. One of the Uruks justified their stopping to the leader saying

"We ain't goin' no further 'till we've had a breather." He said through heavy panting. The leader took a deep breath as well and ordered for a fire to be built. Marina heard Pippin crawl towards her.

"Mari? Mari!" he whispered to her, sounding worried. She opened her eyes and rolled back slightly to see his face. She smiled at him, still dazed.

"I think we might have made a mistake leaving the Shire, Pippin." She breathed. Pippin smiled back at her and she stretched her arms as best she could as they were still tied together. "I hurt something awful though. My arms are all pins and needles." Pippin crawled a bit closer and rubbed his tied hands up and down one arm and then the other.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much, thank you. Here, let me do the same." She said and shifted so she could help. Suddenly they heard an odd groaning from the nearby forest and froze.

"What's making that noise?" Pippin breathed in her ear. Marina grinned, pushing herself up a bit higher to be able to see.

"It's the trees." She said incredulously.

"What?"

"Pippin, do you remember the Old Forest? On the farthest borders of Buckland? People used to say…well, they said that there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall and come alive." She said. She was very excited to know that the stories might be true.

"Alive?"

"Mhmm." She murmured excitedly. "They said that the trees could whisper in a language of their own. Talk to each other. And sometimes…move." As she and Pippin watched the trees anxiously someone started complaining about how hungry they were.

"Yeah. Why can't we have some meat?" One of the orc whelps said. His eyes fell on Marina and Pippin who were now paying very close attention to the conversation. "What about them? They're fresh." He spat.

"They are not for eating." The Uruk-hai leader said. Marina had never been so happy to have him in charge of her life.

"What about their legs?" another orc said, peering around the leader's side. "They don't need those." He pointed out. Marina looked down at her legs, not wanting to lose them. "Ooh they look tasty!" the orc said licking his beak like lips.

"Get back scum!" the leader ordered. "The prisoners go to Saruman, alive and unspoiled."

"Alive? Why alive? Do they give good sport?" the second orc asked, flicking his tongue about noisily and making Maria grimace.

"They have something. An elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war." Marina felt Pippin lean closer to her ear.

"They think we have the ring." He whispered and she hushed him quickly.

"And the moment they find out that neither of us do, they'll kill us on the spot. So hush!" she said in a hurry. But then the first orc was behind them.

"Just a mouthful." He said hungrily. "A bit off the flank." Marina gasped in fear but then the orc was suddenly headless. His head had been sliced off by the Uruk-hai leader right over her and Pippin's heads. She was abruptly very glad they were short.

"Looks like meat's back on the menu boys!" the leader announced and everyone pounced. Marina and Pippin were flung to the side and out of the way. Marina turned to see Pippin watching the spectacle with disgust and decided not to turn herself.

"Pippin, come on!" she whispered to him and they started crawling away from the camp and towards the forest. She heard a grunt from her friend and turned to see the second hungry orc holding a sword to Pippin's throat.

"Go on, call for help. Squeal! No one's going to save you now." The orc threatened. But only a second later, he screeched in pain as a spear struck him from behind.

"Pippin!" Marina called again, not bother to whisper anymore. Thanks to the attack, they might be able to escape. She figured if they could hide in the forest they might be able to wait until Arianna and the others showed up. She crawled about, trying to avoid being stepped on. It seemed both the Orcs and the attacking men had forgotten she and Pippin existed. Suddenly Pippin was by her side once more and untying the rope around her wrists. He'd gotten rid of his own bonds somehow already. Once he was done he helped her to stand. The two of them dodged horses and falling bodies, slowly making their way into the woods. Finally they ducked under the branches and into the safely of the quiet forest.

"Did we lose him? I think we lost him." Pippin panted, answering his own question. They'd only been there for a few minutes however when they heard someone following them. They both peered out from behind their tree and saw the hungry orc following them. The spear still stuck in his back and limping heavily, but as dangerous as ever.

"I'm gonna rip off your filthy little heads! Come 'ere!" he shouted and finally spotted them. Marina gasped and looked around.

"Hurry Pip, climb a tree!" she ordered her friend. He turned and climbed, with her right on his heels. When she got high enough she looked around and saw no orc in sight. "Oh thank goodness, he's gone." She said happily. But then something grabbed her ankle. She gasped, gripping the bark so hard that it hurt, but the orc managed to pull her free easily. The orc leaned over her, ready to stab her right through the heart.

"Let's put a maggot hole in your belly." He sneered. She kicked him in the face without thinking and he flinched back. But it only made him angrier. She distantly heard Pippin call her name but was too busy to make sure he was alright. She scrambled away, and just I time too because a sickening squelch made her turn. She saw that the orc had been squashed by…a tree! The tree had eyes and was glaring at her. It held Pippin in one of his claws.

"Run Mari!" Pippin shouted to her and she didn't hesitate. She turned and dashed away, but only moments later felt her feet being sweep off the ground. She soon found herself face to face with the tree.

"Little orcs! Búrarum." The tree said and Marina's eyes went wide.

"It's talking Mari. The tree is talking." Pippin said but Marina didn't look away from its large yellow eyes. He seemed offended.

"Tree?! I am no tree! I am an Ent." Marina grinned.

"A treehearder! A shepherd of the forest." She said happily. The stories _were_ true!

"Don't talk to it Mari! Don't encourage it!" Pippin said and she looked aver with a raised eyebrow.

"Treebeard some call me." the tree told them.

"And…who's side are _you_ on?" Pippin asked him warily.

"Side? I am on nobody's side. Because nobody's on _my_ side, little orc. Nobody cares about the woods anymore.

"Oh, but we aren't orcs." Marina told Treebeard. "We're hobbits." She tried to explain.

"Hobbits? Never heard of a hobbit before. Sounds like orc mischief to me." Treebeard said sounding angry. He tightened his grip and Marina gasped in pain. "They come with fire, they come with axes. Biting, breaking, hacking, burning. Destroyers and usurpers. Curse them!" the tree cried angrily.

"No, you don't understand!" Marina cried back. "We're _not_ orcs! We're hobbits! Halflings! Shirefolk?" she was running out of adjectives and her ribs felt like they would crack any moment.

"Maybe you are and maybe you aren't. The white wizard will know." Treebeard said, loosening his grip once again.

"The white wizard?" Pippin repeated, sounding devastated. They'd escaped that fate only minutes ago and now they were right back where they'd started.

"Saruman." Marina said in despair. She put her head in her hands, resting her elbows on the claw wrapped around her chest. Then she was falling. She landed next to Pippin with a grunt and they both pushed themselves off the ground. She looked up in fear at the White wizard before them.

"Oh my…" she breathed.

_--_

_Well here we go, the sequel! I hope anyone reading this story has read the first one, titled "What If...". I'm sure you could figure out whats going on, but it might be a _little_ confusing, lol. Well, I hope you enjoyed it, please review, I love to hear your opinions!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	2. Chapter 2

And then…

And then…

Chapter 2

The next morning found Arianna and her group still running. Suddenly Legolas stopped and turned.

"A red sun rises. Blood had been spilt this night." He said. Arianna didn't think much of it. It was a dangerous world, and getting worse every day. A battle being held during the night didn't really surprise her. Suddenly she stopped as well though. She heard hooves. Lots of them. She hurried towards the top of the hill and saw a large number of riders heading toward them. She ducked down again in an effort to stay out of sight. She waved frantically, and led the others to a bunch of rocks where they could hide. She pulled Gimli behind the rock just as the cavalry came over the hill. As they passed, she saw that they were riders of the Rohirrim. She looked at Legolas in surprise. They usually didn't travel in such large numbers without good reason. As the last of them passed, Aragorn stood and walked out into the open. Arianna scrambled to follow.

"Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?" her twin yelled, and the leader gave a signal. Suddenly the four of them were surrounded by horses, and as one the group lowered their spears at them. Arianna raised her hands to show that she wasn't interested in fighting. The leader rode forward, the tail on his helmet blowing in the wind.

"What business does an elf, a man, a girl, and a dwarf, have in the Riddermark?" he asked gruffly. Arianna bristled at him referring to her as a mere girl, and crossed her arms angrily. When no one answered, he got angry. "Speak quickly." He ordered.

"Give me your name horse master, and I shall give you mine." Gimli said. At this the leader dismounted and stepped forward. He glared down at him. Arianna nudged Gimli's shoulder with one elbow, a warning not to cause trouble.

"I would cut off your head, _dwarf,_ if it stood but a little higher from the ground." He said. Legolas quickly drew an arrow and pointed it at him.

"You would die before your stroke fell." He said to the leader. Arianna reached over and pushed down his arm, forcing him to lower his bow. She looked into his eyes and gave him a look that clearly said '_No trouble'_. He sighed but obeyed. Aragorn turned to the leader.

"I am Aragorn son of Arathorn. That is Arianna, my sister. This is Gimli son of Glóin, and Legolas of the Woodland realm." The rider glared at Legolas, and the elf glared back. "We are friends of Rohan," Aragorn said, drawing the man's eye, "And of Théoden, your king." The rider looked at him.

"Théoden no longer recognized friend from foe." He took off his helmet. Arianna was surprised to see that he was actually pretty handsome. "Not even his own kin. I am Èomer." The spears surrounding them were raised. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that we are banished." Arianna relaxed a bit, no wonder he was grumpy. "The white wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets.' He looked meaningfully at Legolas. Arianna narrowed her eyes. He had a right to be grumpy, but not to accuse others of such things.

"We are no spies." she said, her voice ringing clearly after the men's deeper voices. "Nor do we deserve your wrath when we aren't your enemy." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Then he turned to Aragorn.

"You should teach your sister not to speak out of place." Arianna's mouth fell open. How dare he! But she closed her mouth again, and heard Gimli chuckling. She looked at him, was he laughing at her?

"What is so funny, Master Dwarf?" Èomer asked him.

"You obviously don't know who you're dealing with" was all the dwarf said. He was smiling through his beard, and Arianna grinned back. "This 'girl' as you called her, is much more experienced than you are I'm sure."

"Oh really?" Èomer asked him. He turned to her. "Have you fought in war, _m'lady_?" he asked, obviously expecting a no.

"Many times." She answered. He stared, disbelieving. "In fact, I went to war with Thengal. He was your grandfather if I'm not mistaken."

"He did tell me a story…about the woman who fought like one of the men in that great battle. But surely you are not her; you'd have to be at least 60."

"Past that, I'm afraid." She said, putting her hands behind her back innocently. Her eyes glinted mischievously. "Being one of Dúnidain does that to you. Long life and all that." He grinned at her, any anger gone. Her good nature seemed to be contagious sometimes.

"How old are you exactly?" he asked her.

"Eighty-seven." She and Aragorn answered at the same time. "Anyway," she continued, "We're tracking a party of Uruk-hai west across the plains. They have taken two of our friends captive." Èomer looked at her, with an almost embarrassed look.

"The Uruks have been destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."

"But there were two hobbits; did you see any hobbits with them?" Gimli asked anxious.

"They'd be small," Arianna explained, "You may have thought them children from their size." Èomer shook his head.

"We left none alive." He said. Arianna's eyes widened in shock. "We piled the carcasses and burned them." He turned and pointed to a cloud of smoke in the distance.

"Dead?" Gimli asked, not wanting to believe it. Èomer nodded.

"I'm sorry." He said. Legolas put a hand on Gimli's shoulders, grief his eyes. Èomer turned and whistled.

"Hasufel! Arod! Garod!" he called, and three horses came forward. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." He nodded to them, and mounted again. "Look for your friends," He told them. "But do not trust the hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!" he shouted to his company, and they rode off.

"Well that's an optimistic attitude." Arianna said sarcastically. One of the horses came up to her and gently touched her cheek. She turned and patted its nose. It was a pretty mare, brown with white speckles over her rump and white socks. Her eyes were large and kind, but Arianna could tell she'd put up well in battle. She mounted the mare and watched as Aragorn and Legolas lifted Gimli up onto the back of the white horse. It would have been funny if they hadn't just received such grim news. Legolas mounted in front of the dwarf, and Aragorn got on the brown horse. They rode grimly toward the pillar of smoke Èomer had pointed there, Arianna dismounted and looked around.

"Ugh…and I thought they smelled bad when they were alive!" she said, disgusted. Gimli rummaged through the smoldering remains with his axe. He turned holding something up.

"It's one of their little belts." He said sadly. Legolas closed his eyes.

"Hiro hyn hîdh ab wanath." Arianna knew it meant 'May they find peace in death'. Aragorn linked his hands and looked down sadly at the pile of courses. Arianna couldn't stand it. They had tried so hard, and come so far. But in the end their efforts had been in vain, they'd been too late. If they had just gone a bit faster, left earlier, maybe they could have got there in time. She turned around and kicked an orc helmet, but it wasn't enough. She screamed her fury, sadness and grief, and fell to her knees.

"We failed them." Gimli said, as if he couldn't believe it. Arianna sighed shakily, trying to hold in her tears. Ery landed on her shoulder from his hunting trip and hooted sadly. She held up her hand, and he hopped onto her palm. She held him in her lap, stroking his chest with her thumb. He suddenly dived off, despite the short distance to the ground, and pinned a large grasshopper there. As he almost daintily bit its head off, she looked on the ground near him and saw tracks. She leaned over and inspected them a bit closer.

"A hobbit lay here." She said, "and here the other." She stroked her hand over the spot in sadness, but looked again, confused. "They crawled." She said something akin to in hope in her voice. The others came over to look and watch her track. Legolas was impressed; he never would have noticed them. She stood and followed the tracks. "Their hands were bound…" she observed. She found a broken rope a bit farther on, she looked at the ends. "One of their bonds was cut." She dropped the rope and followed to where the tracks led, joining the other hobbit where a second rope lay, this one still showing kinks where it had been knotted. It had been untied. "They ran over here, and they were followed." She followed the footprints at a jog. "The tracks lead away from the battle and…into Fangorn Forest." She stopped short where the wild looking trees started.

"Fangorn! What madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked. Arianna looked at the ground again.

"Not madness, an orc. One of the smaller whelps. It was wounded in its right shoulder, but it still chased them, even into the forest." She looked up at the trees. It was dark and forbidding, everything an ancient forest should be. While a part f her would welcome being among the trees once more, another part of her could feel the forest's hostility. "Well, come on then. We're not going to find them if we just stand here."

"After you." Aragorn said. She glared at him, but stepped into the woods. She led the way down a small hill, following the tracks. Gimli found something on a leaf and tasted it. He quickly spit it out, saying

"Orc blood!"

"Yes Gimli, the whelp's wound seemed to be getting more painful. Its limping grew worse the further it came." She knelt down where the hobbit footprints disappeared, and new ones started.

"These are strange tracks." She said confused. They barely even looked like footprints except the pattern they moved in. By the distance between them, the thing must have been huge. A memory pricked at her mind, but she pushed it away. She was focused on finding the hobbits for now.

"The air is so close in here." Gimli said. Legolas looked around and Arianna joined them in the clearing.

"This forest is old." The elf said softly. "Very old. Full of memory…and anger." Suddenly the wood around them started groaning oddly. Arianna looked around in surprise. "The trees are speaking to each other!" Legolas explained, sounding surprised himself. Arianna looked over and saw Gimli wave his axe around as if expecting an attack. Aragorn noticed as well.

"Gimli!" her brother said to the dwarf, "Lower your axe!" his hand gestured down to emphasize his point.

"Oh!" Gimli said, and quickly did as he said.

"They have feelings my friend." Legolas told him. "The elves began it, waking up the trees, teaching them to speak."

"Talking trees, huh?" Gimli said grumpily. "What do trees have to talk about, hmm? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings!" Arianna glared playfully at him and went back to the tracks. Something about them bothered her. She'd seen them before, though it was a very long time ago…Legolas suddenly spun around.

"_Something's out there!"_ he said in elvish. Arianna looked up worriedly from where she'd been kneeling. She got up and joined him.

"_What do you see?_" she asked him in the same language. His eyes darted quickly to the right.

"The white wizard approaches." He said softly. Arianna heard Aragorn and Gimli come up behind them.

"Do not let him speak." Aragorn said. "He will put a spell upon us." Arianna gripped the hilt of her sword, pulling it out a bit so she could draw quicker. Aragorn readied his own sword, Gimli tightened his hold on his axe, shifting it to a throwing position, and Legolas prepared to draw his bow.

"We must be quick." Arianna whispered, and they all turned around to see someone surrounded by a blinding light. Gimli threw his axe, and Legolas fired his arrow, but both were deflected. Aragorn's sword flew out of his hand, and Arianna's suddenly grew so hot and she had to drop it. As it was, she'd have a mild burn. She raised her hand over her eyes in the brightness, and stumbled back a bit, and into Legolas. He put his hands on her arms to keep them both from falling over. Whoever was in the light spoke, but they couldn't see him.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits." He said, his voice echoing oddly. Aragorn stepped forward.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

"They passed this way, day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" Now Arianna stepped forward.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" she told the man. The light dimmed a bit, and the man stepped forward. It was Gandalf, dressed all in white. Her eyes widened. "It can't be…" she whispered.

"Forgive me." Legolas said as he kneeled, followed by Gimli and Aragorn. "I mistook you for Saruman." But Arianna stayed standing.

"I am Saruman. Or rather Saruman as he should have been." Gandalf said. Arianna stepped forward again.

"You fell." She said, not quite believing that it was really him. His face grew grim.

"Through fire and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak I fought him, the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as the life age of the earth. But was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done." During the explanation, Arianna saw things in her head. Confused, she shut her eyes trying to block them, but they seemed to be burned into her eyelids. She seemed to see the things Gandalf described, and gasped at the way he had spent his time away. She wished it had all been so beautiful for them!

"Gandalf." Arianna whispered, opening her eyes. He looked at her confused for a moment.

"Gandalf? Oh yes, that was what they used to call me." He said, remembering. She nodded.

"Gandalf the Grey." she clarified.

"Gandalf!" Gimli said happily.

"_I_ am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide. And now its time to leave." He walked right past them, expecting them to follow. Arianna looked at Legolas and shrugged, grinning. They all turned, and followed the wizard through the forest. "One stage of your journey is over, another begins." He told them as they walked. "War has come to Rohan; we must ride to Edoras with all speed."

"Edoras! That is no short distance!" Gimli said.

"We hear of trouble in Rohan." Aragorn told Gandalf. "It goes ill with the king."

"Yes," Gandalf said, ignoring Gimli. "And it will not be easily cured."

"But of course." Arianna said quietly. Gandalf glanced at her but said nothing.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing!" Gimli complained. "Are we just going to leave those poor hobbits in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested…" The trees rumbled a bit, and Gimli seemed to have a sudden change of heart. "I mean charming, quite charming forest!" Arianna giggled at him.

"It was more than mere chance that brought Marina and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Marina and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains." Gandalf said mysteriously.

"Well, that's one way you haven't changed." she said as she passed him. He looked at her, and she answered his unasked question. "You still speak in riddles." He chuckled, but didn't argue.

"Some thing is about to happen that hasn't since the elder days. The Ents are going to wake up, and find that they are strong." He said.

"Strong?" Gimli said, a comical smile sat on his face, half scared, and half fake. Arianna almost burst out laughing when she turned and saw it. "Oh that's good."

"So stop your fretting Master dwarf." Gandalf told him sternly. "Mari and Pippin are quite safe. In fact they are far safer than you are about to be!"

"This new Gandalf is grumpier than the old one." Gimli grumbled to himself.

"No he's not, you just have to get used to him again." Arianna told him happily. As she saw it, he could be as grumpy as he wanted as long as he didn't die again.

And then they were out of the forest. The sunlight was too bright for moment, and Arianna had to stand still to let her eyes readjust. When they did, she went forward and patted the nose of her horse. Ery fluttered over from where had been sitting on the mare's saddle horn. He had refused to come into the forest for reasons Arianna could understand. It was nothing like the woods where he'd been born, the air surrounding these trees was full of hostility. Gandalf started whistling two clear long notes which seemed to echo in the air, reaching unnatural distances. And then from over a distant hill came a magnificent horse. It was completely white, and ran as if its hooves didn't even touch the ground. Arianna found herself wondering if she'd ever seen anything so beautiful.

"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas said reverently. The horse came right up to Gandalf.

"Shadowfax," he said, addressing the horse. The beast nodded his head at the wizard, and he returned it. "He's the lord of all horses, and has been my friend through many dangers." He stepped forward and stroked the horse's neck. Then he swiftly mounted up, and the rest followed suit. Gandalf then led the way across the plains to Edoras, and the beginning of their new journey.

----------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Marina and Pippin were on a mission of utter importance. Or at the moment, one of utter boredom. Treebeard had been charged by Gandalf to take the hobbits with him. And take them somewhere to do something. Marina hadn't been privy to that information, so she wasn't sure where they were going.

But the journey there was frightfully dull. The forest soon all looked the same to her, and the beauty of the mysterious trees was gone. But Treebeard was trying to keep them entertained with his poetry reciting. Some were his own work, and some from others. But they were all putting her into a daze. And every time one of them asked if it was much farther, Treebeard would give the same answer.

"Bru-ra-hroom. Don't be hasty." Marina finally stopped asking and simply allowed the Ent's swaying stride to put her to sleep.

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

_Chapter two! I hope you all enjoyed it! I'm going to keep this short since its almost 4 in the morning and I need to get up tomorrow. Not to mention actually be productive and finsih a useless anoying english assignment ._

_If any of you have seen the movie "Kiki's Delivery Service", which is excellent for those who haven't seen it, I have a fanfic for it. It's just a short story type thing, and will only be about five chapters long. But I'd love it if everyone went to check it out on my author page. The movie doesn't have its own section so its in Misc. Movies and you may never find it that way :P_

_Anyway, please review and let me know what you think, toodles!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_

_:EDIT: Sorry about sending two e-mails to all of your inboxes but I forgot to tell you about something else. I'm tunring into a photoshopping nerd and I designed a cover page type thing for this story. I don't have the "What If" one done yet, but the one for this story is done. You can find the link at the bottom of my author bio page, please take a look! You can tell me if you like it or hate it in a review! *hint hint*_


	3. Chapter 3

And then…

Chapter 3

When she awoke, Marina was in a forest glade. The sun was shining like liquid gold from the sky and the ground where she'd slept was as soft as a mattress. She stood and turned in a circle, taking in the sight of the lovely glade and Pippin sitting by a stream. But their Ent escort was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello?" she called. "Treebeard, are you there?" she walked over to Pippin in confusion, asking "Where do you suppose he went?" Pippin however seemed content to ignore her paranoid thoughts.

"I had the loveliest dream last night. There was a large barrel of pipe weed, and I smoked it all." He said with a dreamy smile. "And you were dancing all over the Shire in that dress you wore to Mr. Bilbo's party." Marina bit her lip and snorted as he blushed. Then she heard an odd groan and spun.

"Did you hear that?" she asked, getting a bit frightened. Another groan made her jump. "There, did you hear it?" but Pippin didn't seem to notice. "Something isn't right here…where is Treebeard?" she wondered to herself, knowing Pippin was too distracted to be of any help. The next groan however, came from him! "You…did you just…you said something…treeish." She stuttered.

"No I didn't. I was just stretching." Pippin said. He demonstrated, with each stretch, his whole body groaned the same way the trees did.

"Are you…taller?" Marina muttered, looking him up and down.

"What?"

"You are! You're taller!"

"I've always been taller than you."

"Not _that_ much taller." Marina protested in shock.

"I dunno…I think I'm pushing three-seven." Pippin said and stretched again. "Three-eight!" he exclaimed happily.

"Three foot eight?" Marina asked, her shock almost doubled. Being so short naturally, every inch made a very large difference in the hobbit community. Three foot eight was…unheard of! "What did you do?" she asked him accusingly. She looked at the bowl of water he casually set down and she remembered the old stories. About the water making the trees grow tall. Maybe it made other things get tall too! She grabbed the bowl and drunk greedily.

"Mari, don't drink it!" Pippin exclaimed, trying to take it back. She just grinned and ran off. "Mari don't! Treebeard said you shouldn't have any."

"Well you drank it, and I want some too!" she protested, skipping out of reach.

"It might be dangerous! Give it back! Mari!" Pippin said, chasing her about the clearing. Then he tripped over a tree root, and grabbed her on the way down. They lay in the crooks of the roots, panting, but laughing. At least until the roots shifted, pining them in. "What's happening?" Pippin said curiously.

"Ah, it's got my leg!" Marina shouted in pain.

"Mari!" Pippin called to her. She couldn't tell if he was trying to help her or hoping for help himself. Either way, she was getting frightened. As the roots moved, she was pulled under them. The leaves fell over her body, and then the roots covered her up. She was completely trapped, unable to move an inch. She had just resigned herself to be tree fertilizer when she heard Treebeard's faint voice.

"Away with you! You should not be waking. Eat earth. Dig deep. Drink water. Go to sleep. Away with you." As he spoke what sounded like a soothing lullaby, the roots pulled back. As she was released, Pippin was there, reaching down to help her up and away from the roots which had trapped them both only moments before. "Come, the forest is waking up. It isn't safe." The Ent said to them, holding still so they could climb back up into his upper branches once more. As they walked, Treebeard explained to them what was happening.

"The trees have grown wild and dangerous. Anger festers in their hearts. Black are their thoughts. Strong is their hate. They will harm you if they can. There are too few of us now, too few of us Ents left to manage them."

"Why are there so few of you if you live so long?" Pippin asked curiously. "Are there Ent children?"

"Bru-ha-hroom. There have been no Entings for a terrible long count of years."

"But why?" Marina asked him.

"We lost the Entwives." Treebeard said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. How did they die?" Pippin asked sadly.

"Die? No. We lost them. And now we cannot find them. I don't suppose you've seen Entwives in the Shire?" The tree asked them. Marina thought, she really did. But she didn't think she'd ever seen one. Not that she'd know…

"I don't believe I have." She finally admitted. "Have you, Pip?" he looked at as much of a loss as her.

"What do they look like?" He asked Treebeard hopefully. But Treebeard just shook his head.

"I don't remember now…" he said. Marina and Pippin looked at each other with soft smiles. Despite how ancient the Ent race was it didn't seem to be the wisest of them all, that was for sure.

--------------------------------------------------

That night when they made camp, Arianna gathered firewood. Once it was done she went to her horse, and groomed her. She didn't bother getting everything, but she made sure to get rid of the ticks and comb out the worst tangles in her mane and tail. She was giving her a quick brush over when Gimli came over and sat on a near by tree stump. Erynion had happily perched himself on the dwarf's head, and didn't look like he was moving any time soon. Arianna giggled and went over. She poked the sleepy owl, and was able to transfer him onto her hands instead, where he curled up until he looked like a ball of feathers. She held him in her lap, as the two of them sat and watched the stars come out.

"So," Gimli said much too innocently. "What did you think of that Rider, huh?"

"Who?"

"Èomer. You know, the one who seemed to really like you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She told him, petting the sleeping owl absentmindedly.

"Oh no, of course you don't." he said, perfectly obvious about his not believing her. "You certainly didn't seem to mind his attention though."

"Attention? I was simply enjoying proving him wrong. He didn't believe that I was actually capable of thinking for myself, and I wanted to make a fool of him for it."

"Played up to it rather well though, didn't he? He never looked like a fool to me."

"No." she said, disappointment in her voice. "Actually, he was pretty gracious about the whole thing…I was rather impressed. If I hadn't changed the subject, we could have had an interesting battle of wits…I mean conversation." The dwarf chuckled.

"Be careful you don't become too impressed, he still doesn't have any manners if you ask me." He said gruffly. Then he groaned and stood. "I'm off to bed then, it's been four days of no sleep, and I'm looking forward to it." He strode off towards the fire, leaving Arianna to sit and watch the stars twinkle in the great emptiness before her. She wasn't sure she was comfortable in all of this openness. It was so empty that little groups of trees like the one they camped by seemed like a sanctuary. And it was so windy! There seemed to be no still air in all of Rohan, and it had nothing to block it and slow it down. She sighed and followed Gimli back to fire. She had to admit she'd enjoy a good sleep.

The next morning they were up early as usual, and started riding again. They didn't stop the whole day except at a small stream to water the horses and stretch their legs. That night they camped again, and Arianna was in charge of building the fire. She did so, and sat there staring into the flames, thinking about nothing. Aragorn got up from where he'd been poking the fire with a stick, and walked over to where Gandalf was standing. They talked and, and Arianna got bored enough to go over and stand on Gandalf's right. He was talking about the enemy not knowing about Frodo.

"…and that we should seek to destroy it has not yet entered their darkest dreams. And so each day, the weapon of the enemy moves closer to Mordor in the hands of a hobbit. Each day brings it closer to Mt. Doom. We must trust now in Frodo. Everything depends on the speed and secrecy of his quest." Arianna looked down, wishing she could help the hobbit in some way. He had so far to go, and so much responsibility on his shoulders. "Do not regret your decision to leave him." Gandalf said, looking at her. "Frodo must finish this task alone."

"He is not alone." She said, looking back up into the distance. He looked at her in surprise. "Sam went with him."

"Did he? Did he indeed?" Gandalf asked, and she nodded. He smiled. "Good. Yes, very good." The men started talking of something else, and Arianna, bored again, went back to the campfire, and stirred up the sticks to keep it going. She tossed another branch on it, and watched as its edges stared turning black. She leaned back against a fallen log, and looked up. She felt, rather than saw, Legolas sit next to her.

"We'll get to Edoras tomorrow." He said. "That's where that Èomer fellow was banished from isn't it?"

"Yes." She said, looking at a cloud in the sky and watched as it grew bigger as it floated by.

"Are you hoping to undo his banishment?"

"Well, I suppose, but not for him alone. There are many with him who will be needed in the coming war. Rohan needs as many men as it can get."

"They don't let their women fight then."

"Actually, some of them choose to learn. They are called the Shield Maidens. But they don't generally go to war. They stay with others who cannot fight in case they need protection."

"He seemed awfully surprised about you having fought in wars though."

"Well, most women can't, or choose to lead normal _lady_like lives."

"Why didn't you?" he asked, genuinely curious. She laughed softly.

"Surely you're jesting? It's frightfully boring most of the time. And they spent much too much time sewing for my tastes. I hate sewing. Most women never learn to handle anything more than kitchen knives, and they don't spend much time riding horses, which I love. You will rarely find them shooting arrows or sword fighting, and I do both." She hesitated, but went on. She hadn't told anyone this before. "Most of my female childhood friends and I grew apart. We simply didn't understand each other. They don't understand how I can love doing what I do, and I can't imagine how they don't get bored of what they do. Arwan was the only one who stayed my best friend, but she does know how to use a sword, well…a bit anyway. Maybe that's why she never held it against me…"

Legolas looked at her. During her talk, she had started staring at the fire again, crossed her arms across her chest, and pulled knees up. It was as if she was trying to shrink from herself. He wondered if she sometimes wished she was more like other women, but wasn't sure if it was a good thing to ask when she was feeling so vulnerable. But she went on.

"Sometimes I wonder if my life would be too bad if I had grown up a normal girl. Maybe I could have enjoyed such a simple activity as sewing, or been content to watch others do the fighting while I stayed behind." She shook her head. "But I doubt it. I hate feeling helpless to help people; I don't think I would have been able to stand staying behind." She sighed heavily. "But as it is, I don't like feeling distanced from other females. But every time I try, all they talk about are men and fashions. A couple of subjects that don't stay interesting for long, believe you me." He looked at her again, and saw her eyes filled with a loneliness he couldn't even begin to comprehend. Her life must have been sad, feeling distanced from both females and males. Neither quite willing to accept her as she was. He put his arm around her shoulders, and rubbed her arm comfortingly.

Legolas had set out to see if Arianna had interest in Èomer, and ended up learning some of her deepest feelings. It wasn't what he'd expected either. She always seemed to be such a strong person. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, and wasn't afraid to be mean to those who were mean to her or anyone she cared about. Yet she had her weaknesses as much as anyone else did, and her's was admirable. She was afraid of loosing her friends and family. She was afraid of being alone. She put up a huge front about being a ranger, and not needing anyone, but he could tell that that was the last thing she really wanted. He squeezed her arm to show what support he could.

"You don't have to prove yourself to anyone." He told her. She continued to look at the fire, but listened carefully. "If someone doesn't want to accept who you are, or tries to ignore part of it, it doesn't matter. Another women may just ignore that you can fight and could probably defeat most of the men she knows, while a man will simply ignore your appearance while discussing battle tactics with you.' She smiled a bit at the truth of his statement. "But it's no reason to distance your self from anybody. Once they get to know you, they'll be more willing to accept all of you, not just the part they understand. You may find that you'll connect with a lot of people, and that most of them are willing to accept something once they know more about it."

"I…I hadn't really thought of it that way before." She said wonderingly. She looked up into his face. "When did you get so wise?"

"Well I am an elf you know." He said teasingly. She smiled and poked him in the side. He flinched away, and grabbed her hand. "We'll have no more of that please, or I'll get you back." She raised an eyebrow and he glared at her playfully. "I know that you're frightfully ticklish. Your brother really has been a wealth of information." She gasped indignantly.

"That's not fair!" she said dangerously.

"Don't fear my lady." Legolas said gallantly. "I won't do anything now. Besides you're prepared for it, it wouldn't be any fun. I'll have to wait for a moment when you're not expecting it." She hit him playfully on the arm and he grabbed her wrist again. "I told you, none of that." But she stopped, and leaned against him. He still had his arm around her and for the first time in a long time, she felt protected, like she didn't have to hold up any barriers or be on her guard.

"Thank you Legolas." She whispered. They sat, watching the sparks from the fire float up into the sky. Shortly after, Arianna's head fell onto Legolas's shoulder, sound asleep. He closed his own eyes and rested his cheek against her hair, and soon fell asleep himself. Gimli came back to the camp with an armload of fire wood and saw them. He chuckled as he settled himself down to sleep as well.

When Arianna woke the next morning, she felt surprisingly comfortable. She shifted slightly and felt her pillow, Legolas, move as well. It was still too early to wake him up, so she did her best to get up without disturbing him. He ended up curled up on the ground, resting his back against the log. She giggled a bit as she walked away. She grabbed her bow and quiver, and went hunting. She came back soon after with two quails hanging from her hands. She plucked them and got rid of their innards, and put them on a stick over the fire which she built up again. The smell of roasted bird woke up the others soon after.

"This is why I like traveling with a female ranger." Gimli said happily. "She can hunt better then most of us, and she can cook well." Arianna laughed.

"Nice to know I'm not the only one who's thankful that I paid attention when I had to help out in the kitchens way back when." She said smiling. The birds were soon done, and they ate them quickly before setting off again that day. They were about to arrive at Edoras, and the Golden Hall of Rohan.

The five riders crested the hill and stopped to look at the view. There, on a hill in front of them, was the city of Edoras. Simple houses lined the winding road leading to a large building at the top, the Golden Hall.

"There dwells Théoden King of Rohan, whose mind is over thrown. Saruman's hold over him is now very strong. Be careful what you say. Until I can free his mind, do not look for welcome here." He spurred his horse forward, and they rode towards the city. As they rode through the gate, a ripped flag landed and caught in the grasses. Arianna had to wonder if it was sign of how bad things were, an omen of how Rohan wasn't the way it was supposed to be. They rode through the city, and Arianna didn't like the stares they were receiving. She had to admit that they were an odd group, but why wasn't anyone talking? There was absolutely no noise apart from someone's sweeping broom and the wind whipping people's clothing.

"You'd find more cheer in a graveyard." Gimli said quietly, and Arianna nodded.

"And more noise." She really didn't like this. Erynion gave a small hoot from her shoulder, and scooted closer towards her neck. They reached the steps to the Hall, and dismounted. Gandalf with much more difficulty than it took for him to get up. She realized he was really playing the part of an old man. They went up the stairs, Arianna "helping" Gandalf. She might as well play the part of a good girl. Ery scooted over and took off from his perch on her shoulder. He flew over to sit on top of a flag pole as they reached the top and three men came out of the hall.

"I cannot let you before Théoden king so armed, Gandalf Greyhame. By order of…Gríma Wormtongue." Arianna had to wonder at the hesitation. Was he not happy about Gríma's orders? Or was he not happy about who was doing the ordering? Gandalf nodded to them, telling them to do as he said. Arianna gave them her sword and dagger, her bow and arrows, and her hidden wrist daggers which the men seemed surprised at. So much for acting like a good girl. The others finished handing over their things as well and the leader asked for Gandalf's staff.

"Oh, you wouldn't part an old man from his walking stick." He said, really laying it on thick. The man looked at him knowingly, but let him pass. Gandalf winked at her, obviously thinking he had outsmarted the man, but as they went in Arianna winked at the man who winked back. She once again pretended to support the wizard, as they walked through the hall. The doors closed behind them with a resounding boom, and as she looked back, Arianna saw some dangerous looking men following them as they went towards the throne. She felt her unease grow. This seemed more like a trap than anything. With the heavy doors shut, they wouldn't be able to get out if things got too messy. She took a deep breath preparing for whatever might happen.

_-------------------------------_

_And now we finally get some action! Next chapter anyway, hehe. It was fun to write out the fight scene. I need to get better at those anyway. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	4. Chapter 4

And then…

Chapter 4-Don't Encroach on My Kingly Bubble

Arianna looked to the throne. Sitting in it was a man who looked like he was about to fall down dead right in front of them. Even his eyebrows had gotten long enough to shade his eyes. He looked so withered. Next to him was a pale, greasy haired man, who kept whispering things into his ear. She assumed that this was Gríma Wormtongue. No wonder the man at the door didn't like him. He had small shifty eyes which always seemed to be lying. If you could see through the greed there anyway. How had a man like this become the king's adviser? Gandalf spoke up as they skirted the prepared bonfire in the center of the room.

"The courtesy of your hall has somewhat lessoned of late, Théoden king." Gríma whispered something into the old king's ear and Arianna caught the words "…not welcome…"

"Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?" the king said. His voice was so gravelly Arianna thought he might croak right there, literally then figuratively. Gríma actually had the gall to praise him for what had been his own idea, then stood and spoke to them.

"Late is the hour when this conjuror chooses to appear. Lathspell I name him. Ill news is an ill guest." He said, speaking an old Rohirrim saying.

"Be silent." Gandalf said fiercely, fed up with this sniveling man. "Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm." He raised his staff into the man's face. Gríma paled, Arianna hadn't thought that was even possible.

"His staff." He whispered. "I _told_ you to take the wizard's staff!" he bellowed. The men who had been following them up the hall stepped away from the walls. At last. Arianna was glad to do something that didn't require much thinking or plotting. She didn't have to worry about offending these brutes, just knock them out before they could get to the wizard and interrupt him.

One of them dodged around her, obviously thinking she was a harmless female, but she kicked him between the legs from behind. He fell to his knees, and she slammed her fist into his temple, making him crumple to the ground, unconscious. The second man without an obstacle was on the other side of the wizard and she dashed toward him. He threw a punch towards her face. She dodged right, grabbed his wrist with her right hand, then spun left and slammed her left elbow into his nose, breaking it. Another man ran towards her and she feinted left, then went right, flipping him over her hip, using his own weight and speed against him. He lay where he landed, winded. She dashed from one man to another, hobbling them all in a quick and timely manner, until no more stepped forward.

Then the five of them stood in front of the dais where the throne was. She looked behind her and looked at the litter of knocked out men all over the floor. She smiled at a job well done and watched as Gandalf slammed his power at the old king, trying to force Saruman out of the man's mind. A girl who looked to be about Arianna's age (ignoring the Dúnidain extra for the moment) came from one of the side passages, and tried to get to the king. Aragorn grabbed her and told her to wait. Gimli placed his axe at the throat of Gríma, and warned him not to move in a voice that was none too friendly. Gandalf threw off his cloak; His white clothing seemed to glow in the gloom of the hall. The king seemed startled, then Saruman spoke though Théoden. The old voice sounded distinctly evil.

"If I go-Théoden dies." He said, and Gandalf answered him, almost sounding smug.

"You did not kill me, you will not kill him." He slammed the old man with power again. But Théoden leaned forward.

"Rohan is mine!" he said, the gravelly voice now completely gone, replaced with a very angry spitting one.

"Be gone!" Gandalf shouted, and pushed one final time. Everyone in the hall suddenly saw very fleetingly a vision of an old man, dressed in white like Gandalf, fly backwards, and land on a cold black marble floor. Arianna knew it to be Saruman, but she wondered what the others thought it was. She noticed the girl struggle out of Aragorn's hands and rush forward. She caught the king as he fell forward and helped him to sit up. Then the most extraordinary thing happened. One moment the old king looked around confused, and the next, the white hair and beard was shortening and turning gold, once more neatly trimmed. Most of the wrinkles left his face, except those to be expected of a king of a country and some laugh lines around his eyes. He looked at the girl. He talked softly to her, calling her Èowyn. She looked around. The men who had took their weapons outside stood now in awe. One of them even had his mouth hanging open! Arianna walked to the one who seemed to be in charge, the one who had let Gandalf's staff in.

"I'd get the king's sword. He needs physical objects to help him remember everything, and he carries it most of the time, does he not?" The man nodded and fetched the sword from a table where it had been resting on a velvet cloth. He hesitated to go toward the wizard though. Arianna rolled her eyes and pushed him forward gently. He had fought in wars, surly an old wizard wasn't so frightening. Gandalf noticed him out of the corner of his eye.

"Perhaps your fingers would remember their strength better if they grasped your sword." The man stepped forward and reverently held the sword out for the king to unsheathe. Théoden did so hesitantly but then he turned to Gríma, an angry look in his eye. Then he walked toward him and grabbed the man by his cloak. With a strength that surprised everyone he dragged him out of the hall and threw him down the stairs. Arianna had thought it would take longer for him to get so much strength back. She followed the rest out of the hall and watched as Théoden stomped down the stairs after the cringing man. Gríma stammered about how loyal he was but the king was unrelenting. Arianna also noticed that he was still a little unsteady on his feet. Perhaps that strength had simply been fury in physical form. Suddenly he raised his sword above his head. Arianna wanted to close her eyes, but saw her brother leap down and hold Théoden back.

"No my lord! Let him go. Enough blood has been spilt on his account." Then, surprising even Arianna, Aragorn held out his hand for the man. But Gríma only spit on it, refusing the generosity. He ran through the crowd towards the stables. To bring back the people's attention back to happier thoughts, she called to them.

"Hail, Théoden king!" The people bowed, still silent. But now it was a silence of awe. What had these strangers done to bring back their king? To change him back to the man who actually cared for their well-being? Arianna turned to him and kneeled, lowering her head in respect as well. She looked up through her lashes to see him turn around as if looking for someone.

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"Where is Théodrid?" Uncle asked, as if in his heart he already knew the answer. "Where is my son?" Èowyn, who had been smiling so happily, stepped forward, all traces of happiness gone. She took the king's arm and led him inside and to the room where his son was lying dead on the bed. She came out of the room sadly, closing the door behind her. Èowyn looked up to see only the girl who had come with the strangers to heal her uncle. The rest had gone back to their duties or were waiting in the throne room. She looked at the girl. She had seen her fight, at least a bit towards the end. She looked as if she could take on an entire army alone, even with her weapon sheaths empty.

"Who are you?" she asked. The girl smiled pleasantly.

"My name is Arianna. You are Èowyn? The king's niece?" Èowyn nodded in assent. "Wonderful to meet you. I met your brother by the way, he is doing well." Èowyn smiled, a grateful look in her eyes. Arianna had known that it was something the girl would like to know. "I terribly sorry about, your cousin. I was wondering…well." Arianna stammered to a stop, looking embarrassed. Èowyn took pity on her and took her arm.

"You were wondering?" she prompted softly.

"I…don't really have anything suitable for a funeral."

"If you'd like to borrow something of mine, I'd be happy to let you do so." Èowyn offered. Maybe she could make friends with this strong woman. She was rewarded when Arianna's smiled at her again.

"Would you? I would be ever so grateful. It's almost ironic, that I go on one of my hardest journeys yet, and I'm starting to appreciate my feminine side a bit more everywhere I go." Èowyn chucked softly.

"You know, I'm sure everyone would understand if you came to the funeral in your present outfit."

"I'm sure they'd understand but I want to honor Théodrid. I have met him before and I want to give him a small something, in thank you for the memories if nothing else." Èowyn nodded, and led Arianna to her rooms.

Èowyn pulled out her own mourning dress before finding one for Arianna. The ranger girl had a bit more chest than herself, so she had to find something that was adjustable. Finally she made her decision. As she had chosen Arianna's outfit, Servants had drawn warm baths for each of them, and put them behind screens in the corner. As they washed, they talked of simple things. Èowyn was happy to tell Arianna that she was a shield maiden of Rohan and could fight a bit herself, and that she hoped to one day find herself honor and valor. Once they were done they dried off and put on some silk robes that Èowyn had. Èowyn gave Arianna an under dress of white silk and she put it on behind the screen. Then Èowyn helped her into an over dress of black velvet. The under dress had slightly loose sleeves that flared wide at the wrists. The velvet over coat was sleeveless, and made like a long vest, reaching almost to the floor. The front started lacing at about waist height, and laced with gold thread up to her chest. It pulled the velvet just right on the ranger's curves, and showed off her thin waist wonderfully. Finally, Èowyn found a pair of black leather boots which went up to mid calf, and were more form fitting and less sturdy, but looked nice. She dressed herself as Arianna combed the tangles out of her hair. Then she looped Arianna's hair around into a complicated knot at the nape of her neck, and it ended up looking like a Celtic knot from the back. Arianna went to her belt pouch and pulled out a small circlet. At first glance Èowyn thought it was silver, but when she looked again, it was gold. The metal looked like a vine, starting from a small gold flower in the center of the band, leaves trailing it back to the edges. Arianna placed it so it rested across her forehead and helped Èowyn with her own hair. Many twistings and tuckings later, her hair was beautifully wrapped around Èowyn's own circlet in a style she'd never seen before. She fell in love with it immediately though and grabbed two sheer black shawls before they ran out into the main hall where the ceremony would start. They looked at each other somberly, and then joined the others there.

When they entered the hall Èowyn noticed that the elf stared at Arianna long and hard before getting into his place in line. He, the dwarf, Arianna, and the handsome man grouped together behind Gandalf. She also noticed that, seemingly against their choice, the elf and Arianna ended up standing next to each other in the line, while the man and dwarf followed them. She wondered about it for a moment as she slid out of side door and walked to the tomb where her cousin would be buried. She stood with the women and went over the prayer song in her head. As the niece of the king it was her duty to lead the other women in the burial prayers. She dreaded it too; she hated the song with a passion. She had had to learn it first for her father, then her mother, and now her cousin who had been as close as another brother.

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Arianna had gone to stand next to her twin, but somehow she had been maneuvered to stand next to Legolas. She didn't really mind, but she was a bit miffed that it hadn't been her choice to be there. But then they started moving and she had to move her feet. As they walked somberly down the hill, she found herself in her memories. Even when Ery landed on her shoulder she didn't notice.

When she had met Théodrid he was only a baby. She had been there, and had helped his sick mother to teach him to walk. She had heard his first word and had proudly told his mother, as she lay on her death bed, that it had been Oro, the name of the puppy they had given him. But then she had left. When she next returned he had been 10. She had taught him to shoot a bow and had given him a dagger for his 11th birthday. He had even come to call her Aunt Aria. But his father came home soon after from the war he'd been at during those months. He expected her to be a lady, so she had said her goodbyes and left. So now she had returned find him dead. It was a cursed world they lived in. Where young men with such bright futures should die for no good reason. She sighed sadly as they arrived at the tomb, and watched as the men passed the body to the woman who carried it into tomb.

As they did so, Èowyn started singing; it was a song and a prayer at once. And it was filled with so much anguish that Arianna felt her own eyes spill over. Once upon a time she would have wiped them away and acted strong. But then again, she wouldn't have worn a dress either. Now she let them flow. She realized that while she had watched the world change around her, she had stayed pretty much the same. Maybe it took a journey as important as the one she was on to really make her find herself. Maybe she was supposed to learn that she didn't always have to be strong, that there were others willing to support her. Almost as if he had heard her thoughts, Legolas found her hand and held it tightly. His eyes too were filled with grief. As Èowyn finished the song, the men pulled forward a large stone door and fitted it into the supporting archway. And Théodrid was sealed away in his stone prison, for all eternity.

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They sat around the main hall. The commoners had gone to their homes, while the nobles went to their rooms in the hall. Soon it was only Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, Èowyn, and Arianna. The king and Gandalf were still down by the tomb. Arianna was petting Ery who was sitting in her hands, and Èowyn was talking to a servant with a large ring of keys, arranging for rooms to be made up for the guests. They heard shouting outside and Arianna went to investigate. She emerged on the stone platform and saw two guards running towards the gate. She saw Gandalf and the king there, leading an exhausted horse and what looked like two children. Arianna lifted her skirts and ran downhill towards them, dodging the people who had stopped in the middle of the street to watch.

When she reached them, she kneeled down right in the dusty street, forgetting the velvet she wore. One of the guards handed her a water skin, and she helped the little girl to drink it. The boy was barely conscious, but she did her best to get him to drink something. Gandalf paced, telling her what to do in his most uppity way. As if he knew anything about children! Théoden held the boy though, and helped her make him drink. Then he picked up the child and carried him up to the hall. Arianna carried the girl, seeing as she had curled her arms around her neck and refused to let go. On the way back up, Arianna was able to find out that the girl's name was Freda and her brother was named Èothain. Beyond that she refused to talk. Once they got the children inside there was hot food and a bunch of blankets ready for them. Arianna coaxed them to eat while Èowyn wrapped blankets around their shoulders. Soon Èothain was shoveling down his stew and Freda was huddling into her blanket.

Èowyn explained the problems with the Wildmen as Freda fell asleep in Arianna's lap. Apparently while Théoden was out of commission, Gríma had let them go unchallenged. Now they were causing a wave of destruction and many innocent villagers had been forced to evacuate their homes.

"This is but a taste of the terror Saruman will unleash." Gandalf said grimly, sitting in the adviser seat on the king's right side. "And will be all the more potent because of his fear of Sauron." He placed his hand on the arm of the thrown and Théoden glared at it as if it was the worst thing he'd ever seen. "You should ride out and meet him head on. Drive him away from your women and children. You must fight." Then Aragorn spoke up.

"You have two thousand good men riding north as we speak. Èomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king." At that, Théoden jumped up angrily.

"They will be three hundred leagues from here by now!" he said as if it was Aragorn's fault. "Èomer cannot help us." Arianna thought Èomer might have gotten his pessimistic attitude from his Uncle. The king turned to them all as she stroked the little girl's hair. "I know what it is you want of me, but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war." Arianna kept herself from snorting in a most unladylike manner. Barely.

"Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not." Aragorn pointed out. Théoden turned and stared at him, as if unsure what to say.

"Last I heard, Théoden, not Aragorn, was king of Rohan."

"It doesn't matter who is king." Arianna said, impatient with the men's attitudes. "You have to do what is best for the people." The king looked at her, and turned away.

"What is your decision?" Gandalf asked him as he settled back into his thrown. Théoden looked up gravely.

"We will go to Helm's Deep and shelter there. We will let the enemy make the first move." Arianna sighed, but didn't say anything. She waved Aragorn over before he could say something he might regret, and made him carry Èothain to the room the children had been given. As they tucked in the already sleeping brother and sister, Aragorn scowled.

"Don't bother brooding over the king's decision." She advised him. "It is as well as set in stone. Now we need to look to the future and see how we can help there." He closed the door quietly behind him and they strolled back to the main hall.

"I know," he answered, "But I can't help but feel that it's the wrong thing to do. He's putting himself into a dangerous position at Helm's Deep. I only hope things will turn out well in the end." He stopped and looked at her. "But thank you for stopping me before I said anything rash. I was about to say some rather unkind things to Théoden. By the way, did I tell you that you look lovely?" Arianna looked down at the dusty dress and back up at him with an eyebrow raised. "Well, you _did_ look lovely." He corrected himself. But he smiled kindly down at her and hugged her before they went out into the hall.

They were all led to rooms that were richly furnished and filled with blankets and braziers to drive off the chill. It had already gotten cold, and the sun had barely set. A stone hall at the top of a hill in the middle of a windy plain was not a very warm place to rule from, Arianna thought. She pulled off her dress and climbed into a nightdress which had been set out for her. It was a simple heavy cotton and rather form fitting. The sleeves flared out a bit at the wrists, but didn't hang down like the day wear. But overall it was very comfortable. Arianna combed her hair, braided it, and crawled into bed to sleep. Once again, she savored the feel of a real mattress. Knowing that the next day, she'd be back to sleeping on hard ground.

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_I write a fight scene, woohoo! Wasn't too bad if I may say so :P Well, please review!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	5. Chapter 5

And then…

Chapter 5

When she woke at dawn, Arianna dressed once more in her traveling clothes. They had been cleaned during the night and looked almost like new again. She went to the hall to see what she could do to help the city prepare to leave.

First she was sent to the blacksmith. There she helped one of the apprentices pile a small cart full of horseshoes, weapons, and chain mail stuff. The apprentice was a large lad of about 15, and very funny, so they had a good time while doing it. Afterwards she went to the Fletcher's, where she stuffed as many feathers as possible into old feed sacks. This task was made more difficult with Erynion flying in at random moments to dive into the feather piles. But he would happily pop back out again a moment later and fly away, leaving her with a smile on her face. Her next destination was the stables where the more important horses were kept, to say good bye to Gandalf. He said a short goodbye, saying that he'd find them in five days, coming from the east, then rode out of the stables and then the city. Arianna spent the next few hours helping out there in the stables.

The others soon found out that she was a fair hand with horses, and that she could easily calm them down, and was called a few times to aid with some of the more stubborn and wild horses. She was carrying a saddle over to a stall where it would be put on the horse, when a loud neigh caught her ear. She turned to look and saw a magnificent horse rearing and pawing at the air, a wild look in his eyes. She watched as her brother, who had a similar gift with horses, went to help calm him down and noticed Èowyn watching him. She shook her head and finished up with the saddle before heading to her next chore.

Throughout the morning, she hopped from one place to another, helping where she could, directing where leadership was needed. As much as she preferred to stay out of the limelight, she didn't mind helping to keep the people calm and orderly. Finally, everyone had lunch, and they started to empty the city. Everyone fell into line, and the long journey started.

By the end of the day most of the people were tired, not used to walking all day, and they set up camp soon after. Arianna had an odd dream that night about an old horse which kept talking to itself, even arguing with itself. It wanted to eat the alfalfa that was growing on the ridge, but then argued saying that its new master would give it the best alfalfa if only they followed him home. When she woke suddenly before dawn she tried to remember it, but it was like trying to hold smoke and she shook it off as she packed up her things again.

That day she rode with her brother and the king near the middle of the line. She watched as Gimli told Èowyn about dwarf women, and laughed when her brother explained things through sign language and whispers in a hilarious way. When Gimli's horse took off, Arianna rode forwards to catch up and laugh as Gimli grumbled about how "it was deliberate." He reminded her of a cat sometimes. No matter what stupid things he did, he acted as if he meant to do them all along. She dismounted and helped Èowyn to heave him back up onto the horse where he sat awkwardly, afraid of falling off again. Ery landed on his head and to all appearances went to sleep. Arianna and Èowyn burst into giggles as Gimli grumbled about annoying owls and silly girls. She spent the rest of the day walking her horse with them, telling jokes and stories.

That night at camp, Arianna sat with Gimli and Legolas around the campfire they had set up. Gimli went off, supposedly to get his ax sharpened. On the way he passed Èowyn who offered him something in a small pot. He looked in eagerly, but pulled back quickly, and muttered an excuse and went on his way. For some reason, Arianna found this hilarious, and burst into giggles. Legolas looked at her, until she realized what he wasn't asking.

"Èowyn can't cook at all." She said quietly. "I was talking to the cooks earlier. They said that they can't even get water to boil properly with her around. She was a hopeless student, so bad that she was banned from the kitchens forever more." Arianna laughed again when her twin tried some of the stew and his face tried to twitch into a look of disgust. He wouldn't let it of course because Èowyn was standing right there. She and Legolas watched the conversation, and laughed when Aragorn was force to eat the stuff because Èowyn was too busy looking fondly at him to leave.

That night was quiet. The hard pace had caught up with a lot of the townspeople, so they were even quieter than the night before. Aragorn and Legolas were showing her the elvish constellations, and Gimli pointed out the names the dwarves had for them, or different constellations altogether. Arianna had to wonder how an entire race could come up with such stories and pictures from a few dots in the sky. Either someone was very bored, or very passionate about things not so near the earth. She would have liked to meet the ones who first found the constellations and ask them how they came up with an entire history for one picture in the sky. She fell asleep soon after these thoughts and had a blessedly dreamless sleep.

The next day they got another early start. Arianna was walking Gimli's horse near the front of the line, making sure he didn't fall off. She told the poor beast that he deserved a carrot for putting up with so ungraceful a rider. Gimli tried to hit her but almost fell off again, so he was reduced to mutterings and curses.

Legolas was acting as a scout today, and she watched as he wandered the hills in front of them. He was always moving, keeping an eye on everything at once. But then he stopped. A large hill in front of them was topped with an out cropping of stone, and he stood on the edge waiting for…what? Háma and Gamling rode forward, also scouts for the day. Their horses seemed restless. They rode over the hill and down the other side. There was an odd shout and a horrible roar. Arianna could hear rock crumbling from on over head attack, but she doubted anyone else could. She charged up the hill, still on foot. When she got to the top, she was just in time to see Legolas slash the throat of a goblin, still astride his dead warg mount. When the elf saw her on the hill he shouted to her.

"A scout!" Aragorn, who had followed her, turned around and went back to the king. She heard Théoden ask what was wrong.

"Wargs!" Aragorn shouted, and she grimaced. He wasn't supposed to create a panic. "We're under attack!" Arianna charged back down the hill and grabbed the reins of her horse. She quickly mounted and joined the rest of the riders who were gathering at the front of the line to prepare for an attack. Three men were trying to get Gimli back up onto his horse, as he shouted at them. Although she tried not to, she overheard Théoden telling Èowyn that she had to lead the people to Helm's Deep. Obviously she didn't want to, and tried to argue her way into helping the warriors. Arianna went to her when her uncle had left.

"You are the only one he's willing to trust with the lives of his people." She told the shield maiden quietly. "He knows you'll do the right thing to keep them safe and that you'll be a good leader. He just doesn't know how to say it yet." Arianna clasped the girl's hand before riding off with the rest of the riders. As she rode off, she heard Èowyn start telling the people to make for lower ground. She prayed they'd make it safely.

As the riders crested over the hill, they passed Legolas who was shooting them down one by one. He turned and did a rather impressive swing up onto Gimli's horse.

"Show off!" she shouted to him as she passed by. But then it was all seriousness. She drew her sword and the Riders and the Wargs crashed into each other at full speed. Members from both sides went down, their mounts flipping and slipping out from under their riders. Arianna rode around in random directions, slashing mounts and riders alike as she went by. She saw Gimli fall off of his horse at one point, but he sprang back up to continue fighting on steady ground rather than from a horse. She saw Legolas riding around, taking out the enemy from a distance with his bow and close up with his twin swords as he steered his horse with his knees. Aragorn charged around the area, killing and maiming every orc he passed, he'd obviously gotten some new training during his stay at Lothlórian. Arianna spun around to see Gimli trapped under a warg, a dead Orc, and another warg that was about to bite his head off. She rode towards him, swinging down to the side to swipe a spear from where it lay on the ground. She flipped it around and flung the weapon into the heart of the warg. Unfortunately its dead body fell on top of Gimli's pile-up, and she could hear his grunt even as she rode away.

She spun around and found herself face to face with one of the larger warg riders. He swung his crooked sword down, and she brought up her sword just in time to keep him from slicing her head in two. He swung at her from all angles, leaving her unable to do anything but block him. Finally he swung to her left side and she was able to block it and swing his blade around with a horrible screech. She jerked her sword out of the lock, and stabbed him through the heart. He simply looked down as she pulled it free, and slid sideways off the warg. To her horror, the beast turned to the body and started lapping up the blood that was pooling around it.

Arianna turned away in disgust only to see another warg rider launch himself at her. His weight threw her right off of her horse and her breath was knocked out of her lungs when she landed on the ground. She twisted weakly as she gasped for air, but thankfully, Théoden chose that moment to swing by and slice his back. She stood shakily as she saluted him in thanks. She put her hands on her knees and steadied her breathing as she looked around for where ever she could do the most damage. A warg charged her a moment later, and she ducked under his blade. He turned around and charged her again. This time, she ducked and grabbed his saddle, swinging up behind him on his mount. She slammed her forehead into his temple as he turned to look at her. He was only dazed for a moment though. Orc temples weren't so much of a weak point for them; their skulls were thick even there. He twisted his right arm out of her hold and swung around to knock her off the warg. She tried to turn so she'd be able to roll when she landed, but her wrist got caught in the strange saddle that straddled the warg's back. Her heels dragged and hit the ground painfully. She grappled with the harness her arm was caught in, but it was pulled too tightly to get off. Instead, she reached up and grabbed the throat of the rider. He grabbed the pouch on her belt and ripped the seams holding it on. She wrenched her arm sideways and flung him off of the saddle. She hoped he'd smash his ugly face in when he landed. She twisted to see where the raging warg was headed and saw the rocky ground end. She furiously pulled at the harness but it was too late. The next thing she knew she felt weightless, and she saw the edge of the cliff as they went right over it.

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Legolas shot one more Orc as he tried to ride off on his wounded mount. As the foul creature collapsed, the elf looked around. The rest of the enemy was riding off, defeated. He saw Théoden straightening his cloak, and Gimli pulling his ax out of another body. Aragorn was looking at the fallen enemies. But where was Arianna?

"Arianna?" he called, worry in his voice. But there was no answer. Gimli looked up and around as well.

"Arianna?" the dwarf bellowed. Aragorn looked up from where he'd been pulling what arrows he could out of bodies to be used later. He saw an Orc laughing near the ridge and marched over. The evil beast was coughing blood. Gimli laid his ax at his throat. "Tell me what happened, and I will ease your passing." The dwarf said in a foreboding voice. He felt Legolas come up behind him.

"She's…" he coughed and Gimli shuffled impatiently. "She's dead. The little wench took a tumble over the cliff." He started laughing and Legolas grabbed him by the throat in anger.

"You lie." He said with a voice that could send shivers down the toughest Orc's spine. But this one just laughed, choked, and died. Almost regretfully the elf let him go. Then he looked down and saw what the Orc was holding. A small leather pouch, embroidered with green leaves and a small red flower. He pulled it from the dead Orc's fingers and opened it. He pulled out the circlet that Arianna had gotten from Lady Galadriel. He knew she would never have given it up willingly, and his fingers wrapped around the cool metal. He stood and walked to the cliff. He looked over the edge to see a swift river and no sign of Arianna. Erynion landed on his shoulder and gave a sad hoot. The presence of others at his side told him that Gimli and Aragorn were there too. Théoden came up shortly after. He half turned so he could give orders to the entire group.

"Get the wounded on horses, the wolves of Isengard will return." He looked at Legolas when he said "Leave the dead." Gimli grasped his ax harder, and Aragorn stiffened but they didn't argue. Legolas simply looked at him with such emotion in his eyes that the king didn't know what to say. So he just patted him on the arm and said "Come." With that he turned away, leaving three figures and an owlet standing at the cliff's edge, looking sadly into the rough river below them.

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Marina had grown used the Treebeard swaying pace by now, and it no longer rocked her into a daze. And now that they'd been in the forest for so long, she was beginning to see it in greater detail. More than just trees and moss. Each tree had a personality, and every patch of moss grew in a slightly different shade. She had to smile at the minor differences she was noticing. Of course, it might just be from the water she and Pippin had drunk. She'd gotten a bit taller herself she'd found, and wondered if it would last. She didn't really want it to if she was honest with herself. She and the other Hobbits were already going to be very different when they returned home; she wanted everything to stay as much the same as it could. She heard a rustling above her as Pippin shifted.

"Look! There's smoke to the south!" he exclaimed.

"There is always smoke rising from Isengard these days." Treebeard said, sounding weary.

"Isengard?" Marina asked, motioning for Pippin to scoot over. She wanted to get a better view. He did better than scoot; he climbed higher himself to give them both a good view of things. As they climbed higher, Treebeard spoke again.

"There was a time when Saruman would walk in my woods. But now he has a mind of metal and wheels." He said sounding bitter. "He no longer cares for growing things." But Marina was no longer listening. Leaving Isengard was a black ribbon of marching Uruk-hai.

"What is it?" Pippin asked her. Her eyes narrowed in worry.

"It's Saruman's army. Oh Pip, I think the war has started." She told him softly. Her grip on the branch tightened until her knuckles turned white. Pippin must have noticed because he took her free hand and held it tightly. The two of them watched the ribbon flow almost endlessly from Isengard's gates, both hoping that their friends would be alright.

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Arianna was dreaming. She could tell, because neither she nor Legolas had been so clean for ages. She was lying on a hillside covered in fresh green grass. Legolas was practicing his archery nearby; she could hear each thump as the arrows hit the bulls-eye. She looked to her right to see him pull back another arrow. He was shirtless, something that actually made her blush. The muscles in his back bunched and relaxed with every arrow. Finally he turned to her and smiled. He walked over and sat beside her. This time when he looked at her, there was something in his eyes that she didn't understand. He leaned down towards her face. She knew she ought to punch him for what he was about to do, but she couldn't move her arms. And then, just a second before his lips touched hers, time seemed to freeze. She blinked and above her was a large horse nose. She groaned weakly, and turned her head out of the way before she could receive a horse kiss.

"I think I actually prefer Legolas over you." She said sternly to the beast. Well, she had _tried_ to sound stern; it just came out as a whisper. She groaned again as the feeling rushed back into her limbs. She tried to remember what happened. She could recall the battle with the wargs…and she had gotten dragged over the cliff with one of the beasties! On the way down, she had been able to get her wrist out of the harness, and maneuver herself so that the warg would hit the water first. They had finally hit with a painful sounding slap, and warg was dragged to the bottom of the river, not conscious enough to keep himself near the surface. Arianna had done her best, she really had, but she was soon dragged under as well, and thrown against a rock as she traveled down stream. Now she shakily raised her hand to her forehead and felt the gash there. If it had been a little bit to the left, her temple would have been hit and she probably wouldn't be alive right now to feel the pain.

She thanked whoever was listening, including the horse which had settled down onto the rocky shore next to her. She knew she had to find the others, sooner rather than later. If they'd had any sense, then they would have continued on to Helm's Deep, so that was where she needed to go too. How she wanted to just sleep! She looked over at the horse and realized that it looked familiar. She blinked her heavy eyelids. It was the same mare that Èomer had given her. She rolled over and half flung her arm over the mare's back. She gripped her mane and pulled herself up bit by bit onto her back.

"Good girl." Arianna whispered. "You're a fine, brave horse. Now let's find our friends, shall we? They're at Helm's Deep; do you think you can get there without me being awake to guide you?" The mare snorted and nodded her head, and started trotting out of the river valley and what Arianna hoped was the right direction. But all she could manage for now was to lean forward and rest over the horse's neck, and promptly fall asleep.

A time later, she woke again and sat up. She was still a bit weak, and very stiff. A horse's back wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep for any period of time. She looked around, pleased to see that they were headed in the right direction. She heard a rumble of many footsteps, and steered the mare behind a large outcropping of stones. She inched her forward until she could see. Her eyes widened. It was an army. And not just any army, but Saruman's huge army. The one he'd been building for months! She swept her eyes over the masses of Uruk-hai, making a few quick calculations in her head. She fixed those numbers in her head and backed up the mare, once again taking off for Helm's Deep with all haste.

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_I'm late I know, and you have my deepest appologies! But I spent Monday evening working on an English paper and i have class all day on Tuesday. So you see my dilemma :P In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review whether you did or didn't!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	6. Chapter 6

And then…

Chapter 9

Arianna hated to admit it to herself, but she dozed off again while riding. When she woke up it was afternoon already, and she knew that they weren't far from their destination. She shook the last bits of sleep from her head, and kicked the horse into a gallop. Shortly after, they crested the last hill, and were rewarded with a spectacular view of Helm's Deep, nestled into its corner in the cliff side. She stopped the mare for a moment to reflect. It had taken a lot of work to get here, not just from Edoras, but from Rivendell, even from Bree. And once again, she was probably going to get some odd looks, especially if she was presumed dead after the cliff incident. She was tired of getting funny looks, but she'd just have to deal with it. They'd get used to it, hopefully they hadn't quite gotten used to her being dead yet. She lifted her chin and sat a bit straighter. She had friends now. She had Aragorn, who would give her a bear hug, and Gimli who'd curse her for doing so foolish a thing as dying, and Legolas…well, she never knew what to expect from Legolas, but she'd find out soon.

She kicked the mare, who Arianna had decided to name Vanya which meant beauty, into a gallop again and rode down the hill. Her ride across the empty plain in from of the fortress was noticed. She could hear the lookouts shout to open the gates for her. She slowed Vanya a bit and nodded to the men who had pulled open the heavy gate. Grinning a bit at their open mouth stares, she continued her ride up the ramps towards the center of the fort. She heard people whispering to each other none too quietly that "It's her!" and "Lady Arianna is alive!" She was a bit surprised. The people who were watching her progress through the Deep were staring, but not oddly. They didn't seem to think she was some unnatural demon at all, but were…happy. They were glad she was still alive. She was surprised and grateful for it. She reached the main courtyard area and dismounted as people crowded around her and Vanya.

"Where is she?!" She heard a certain short someone say from behind the crowd. "Where is she? I'm gonna kill her!" she grinned and turned to see Gimli pop out from the rest of the people as she tied the reins up onto Vanya's harness. "You are the luckiest, the cunningest and the most reckless girl I've ever met!" Then the dwarf came forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. Arianna smiled, and laughed a bit as Gimli said "Bless you, lassie! Bless you!" He let go and stepped back to look at her. "Things have been very bleak since we arrived; there are a few people that I think you'd better say hello to." She nodded.

"And I need to talk to the king. Where is he?" Gimli nodded in the direction of the center keep.

"You'll find the others on the way I believe." Arianna thanked him and took off. She walked along the twisting halls. It was a good thing she had been here before or she'd be hopelessly lost right now.

She got up the stairs and looked around. She told herself that she was just looking around to see the numbers they'd have in the next battle, but she knew it wasn't true. When she didn't see who she was looking for, she started fiddling with her belt knife, making sure it was in just the right place to be drawn quickly. She went up the last few stairs when she suddenly realized that there was someone right in front of her. She shopped short and looked up. It was her twin.

"_You're late_." He said in elvish. She raised an eyebrow in annoyance. He looked over her. "You look terrible." She glared at him. Then he laughed and gave her a huge bear hug, just as she'd expected.

"It's good to know I was missed." She said laughing with him. "But for now I have to find the king and…well, I have to find the king." Although he noticed the hesitation and was pretty sure who she was going to mention, he didn't say anything. He hugged her again, and let her leave.

She was passing a bunch of the villagers who were carrying potatoes towards the caves when she saw the elf among them. She stood and leaned against a wall inconspicuously and watched him. He lifted the baskets with an automatic look about him, like his mind was on something else. And he was being a bit careless, which he always did when he was sad, upset or angry, and right now looked to be all three. She was about to step forward when he picked up another basket and turned away. She supposed she could wait until he got back from this load; he hated to be disrupted while he was working. But then she heard a small girl shout. "Aunt Aria! Aunt Aria!"

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"Aunt Aria! Aunt Aria!" Legolas froze. He knew that that was what Arianna told the children to call her. But she was dead, why would someone be calling her now? He slowly turned to see Freda zoom past him. And she ran into the arms of…Arianna! There she was: kneeling and hugging Freda before the girl scampered off again. She was dirty and still damp, her hair a mess of curls and tangles, but she was alive. Legolas didn't even realize that he'd dropped the basket of potatoes until they spilled over his boots. He practically ran towards Arianna, ignoring the dirty looks he was getting from the woman who'd been filling the baskets in the first place as they dashed after the runaway vegetables. He grabbed Arianna around the waist and swung her around in a circle hugging her tightly.

"Goodness, have you gotten stronger in the one day I've been gone? Because my ribs are going to crack any moment." She said, ignoring the fact that she was holding him just as tightly. He put her down without letting go and looked at her.

"But…you were dead." He said in disbelief. She smiled tiredly at him, but it was filled with contentment. He lifted one hand to brush a smudge of dirt off of her cheek. He looked into her emerald eyes, as she looked into his ocean blue ones. In what seemed like slow motion, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Arianna was surprised to find herself closing her eyes and letting him do it. It was like one of those sappy romantic novels she secretly read, but even better because it was happening to her. But then Legolas pulled back, an unsure look in his eyes, as if he felt he'd gone too far. But she grinned at him, shaking her head before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him back, pulling him closer. His arms slid around her waist again and he held her tightly, almost possessively. He could feel her smiling through the kiss, and pulled back again, only to lean forward and lean his forehead against hers.

"I have to find the king." She whispered regretfully. He sighed and nodded. He gave her a quick kiss and squeezed her hands. Then he turned to the potato ladies and was all smiles and apologies. Soon he had charmed them into forgiveness for making such a mess. Arianna had to laugh at him as she started up the stairs. There, Erynion dived at her, landing ungracefully on her shoulder and hooting continuously until she picked him up and stroked his chest. He was very happy to see her to say the least, nuzzling his head against her fingers. If he could have purred, Arianna suspected it would have been as loud as a waterfall. Legolas soon caught up with her and took her hand again as they walked the rest of the way up the stairs. But then, right before they went through the doors, he stopped her.

"I believe you lost this." He said quietly. She looked down to see him holding her ripped belt pouch in his hands. He took out the circlet that she'd gotten from Lady Galadriel, now shaped as a simple silver twist which dropped to a point in the front, a small teardrop emerald hanging from it. "It changed to that when I found it, I'm not sure why though. Wasn't it gold before?"

"Lady Galadriel said it would change to whatever fit the situation best." Arianna whispered. Suddenly the circlet rippled and changed again. Now it was gold, vines with tiny delicate leaves trailed in a complicated swirling pattern, forming a heart in the center, based on the heart cut ruby fixed in the middle of an open rose. Arianna blushed and Legolas laughed and kissed her forehead as she put it back in the pouch and tied it around her belt once more. "Well, it's time to be a bit dramatic, don't you think? Maybe I can scare King Théoden into actually taking action." Then she turned to the large double doors and pushed them open, striding into the hall with confidence in her step and her friends and family at her back.

Arianna marched down the hall towards the king who had been pacing in front of his throne. She gave him a polite nod as he stared open mouthed at her.

"You know, it's not polite to stare." She told him softly, and he snapped back to his usual self.

"Ah, Lady Arianna, I am pleased to see that you are still with us in the world of the living."

"I am, my lord, and with news. On my way here I got a glimpse of Saruman's army, and I must say, it seems rather a bleak prospect."

"A great host you say?" he asked, still stiffly polite.

"All of Isengard is emptied."

"How many?"

"Ten thousand strong at least." She said as she crossed her arms in front of her. At that he visibly blanched and turned to her.

"Ten thousand?!" he asked, incredulous.

"It's an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of men. And they will be here by nightfall." The king sat down heavily in his throne for a moment, then seemed to gather his control and stood again.

"Let them come." He said bravely. He marched out of the room, followed by Arianna, Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn. Théoden turned to one of men. "I want every man and strong lad to be ready to fight before nightfall." He said as he clapped the man on the shoulder. The man nodded and rushed off. The group started walking again, Théoden pointing out what he was going to do along the way. Finally they slipped through the gate at the top of the causeway. Théoden boasting the whole time about how no enemy had ever gotten into the Hornburg.

"This is no rabble of mindless orcs." Gimli pointed out. "These are Uruk-hai; their armor is thick and their shields broad."

"I have fought in many wars, Master Dwarf." Théoden said. "I know how to defend my own keep." And with that he swept regally past them and continued his march. The rest of them followed again, patting Gimli's shoulder on the way. They understood, even if the king refused to listen.

"They will break upon this fortress like water on rock." Théoden said as they walked across the highest wall in the fortress. "Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn, we've seen it before. Crops can be re-sown. Homes rebuilt. Within these walls, we will outlast them." Arianna rolled her eyes; this man just didn't seem to get it! Aragorn stepped forward, and Arianna decided it was time she let him go. Théoden needed some harsh words to get the truth of the situation through his skull.

"They aren't coming to destroy crops and villages. They come to destroy Rohan's people, down to the last child!" Théoden whipped around.

"What would you have me do? Look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance!" While Arianna could understand where he was coming from, she didn't think he was taking the right course of action.

"Send out riders, my lord." She said, speaking up. "You must call for aid or we won't survive this." Her voice was firm but quiet enough so that her words stayed on the parapet where they stood. There was no need to upset the people who were working so hard and were so frightened. Théoden looked at her.

"And who will come? Elves? Dwarves?" he asked nodding to Legolas and Gimli in turn. "We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead."

"Gondor will answer." Aragorn said with conviction.

"Gondor? Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed around us? Where was Gon- No, my lord Aragorn, we are alone." And then he turned and walked off. This time the group stayed where they were.

"Gondor didn't know what was going on, how could they help?" Arianna asked unhappily. "It's a sad thing when people give up on each other so easily." The four of them then split up, looking to help where ever they could.

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"The Ents have not troubled about the wars of men and wizards for a long time." Treebeard was telling Marina and Pippin as they came into a small clearing. A large rock stuck up at an odd angle, reminding Marina of a sundial. "But now something is about to happen that had not happened for an age: Entmoot."

"Entmoot? What's that?" Marina asked him.

"It is a gathering."

"A gathering of what exactly?" she asked warily. She froze when she heard noises coming from the forest around the clearing. She turned to see more Ents of all shapes and sized emerging from the trees.

"Beech, Oak, Chestnut, Ash. Good, good, good. Many have come." Treebeard said happily, but then his tone got more serious. "Now we must decide if the Ents will go to war." Marina looked at Pippin's face, and saw that he looked worried. Marina however was ecstatic. This meeting of the Ents might be the thing that turns the tables in this war, and Marina was already hoping she could help as well.

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Arianna went downstairs to where families were picking up their things to move into the caves. She helped pack where she could, and directed and advised everywhere else. With her help, the families were able to get moving a bit quicker. She led them down into the caves, trying not to look around with her mouth hanging open like a cow. She'd never been down into the caves before, and they were incredible. She helped direct the families to the farthest reaches of the cavern, so there'd be as much room as possible for the others when they came in. She saw one of the women tying her hair back, and eyed one long strand in front of her face. That wasn't such a bad idea. She took out her dagger and sliced around the edge of her shirt, getting herself enough of a tie to wrap around her hair and keep it out of the way. One of the other young women took pity on her struggling with the tangles, and helped her to finger comb it a bit before braiding it into one long braid trailing down her back. Arianna thanked the girl and gave her a cheerful smile before dashing off to help elsewhere.

She helped bring the last of the potatoes into the caves as well. Even thinking of the baskets of vegetables made her smile like an idiot. She mentally shook herself. They were on the brink of war, and here she was grinning like a love struck puppy. She decided to start planning on where they would place the men. Hopefully a less womanly task would get her mind off such things as blue-eyes elves.

Luck wasn't on her side though, because said elf was leaning against the archway to the caves and joined her as she strode through the people crowding the doorway.

"We'll place the reserves along the wall; they can support the archers from above the gate." She said, but Legolas would have none of that.

"Arianna, you need to rest."

"I'm fine, rest can wait."

"You're no use to us half alive." He pushed. Arianna turned to tell him off for wasting both his time and hers, but Èowyn came up calling her name.

"Arianna, I'm to be sent with the women into the caves."

"Congratulations, that's an honorable charge." But Èowyn looked speechless. Almost.

"To mind the children? To find food and bedding when the men return? Where is the renown in that?"

"M'lady." Arianna said, friendly but stern. "There may come a time when there is honor without renown. Your people need someone able to lead them if the worst should happen. Who else should they look to in their last defense?"

"Let me stand by your side." She asked, almost begging, but not quite. She was still a lady of the court, you could tell.

"It is not in my power to command it." Arianna said, a hint of finality in her voice, but Èowyn was stubborn. Much like herself, but Arianna wasn't feeling so understanding at the moment.

"You do not command the others to stay. They fight because they would not be parted from you. Because they love you." At that moment Aragorn came up, having heard Èowyn's outburst. She looked down and shook her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." She said softly and went to the caves with the rest of the women. Arianna turned to Aragorn.

"You're going to have to tell her the truth at some point." She told him. "She's falling in love with you, and I can tell you don't think of her in the same way." The man sighed but didn't argue. He looked at her and grinned.

"You look like you're about to collapse on your feet." He said playfully. Arianna groaned comically.

"Not you too! I'm fine, really. Even if I had the opportunity to sleep I wouldn't be able to. I'd keep thinking of things to do and I'd never actually get any rest. You should know, you have the same problem." Aragorn laughed and patted her on the shoulder before heading off to work some more.

A few hours later, any able bodied male could be found in the armory, getting pre-made armor and swords. The foursome sat in one corner, watching.

"Farmers, farriers, stable boys." Aragorn said as he paced. Arianna shook her head remorsefully. "These are no soldiers."

"Most have seen too many winters." Gimli said softly.

"Or too few." Legolas said, adding his two coppers. "Look at them, they're frightened. You can see it in their eyes." At that, the room went silent. He hadn't bothered to keep his voice down for that last bit. He strode forward a bit. "_And why shouldn't they be? Three hundred, against ten thousand?" _he spoke in elvish now, but the silence continued. Arianna awkwardly tried to fill it.

"_They'll have a better chance of defending themselves here than at Edoras."_

"_Arianna, they cannot win this fight. They are all going to die!" _with this he stepped forward, almost glaring at her. Her temper, although not as bad as her brother's, flared up. She was worried, scared and exhausted, and she finally snapped.

"Then I shall die as one of them!" she said loudly, forgetting to speak in elvish. She glared at Legolas before turning away to go outside. She needed to get some air and cool down before she did anything else. Legolas tried to go after her. He was afraid he'd gone too far this time. He knew she was stretched tighter than a bow string, yet he still pushed too hard. His progress forward was stopped by Gimli.

"Let her go lad, let her go." The dwarf said. Gimli looked into the elf's worried face and steered him outside through the other door. "She just needs to cool off a lit laddie. She's had a hard day." Legolas snorted at that last bit, but let the dwarf lead him out to watch for the approach of the enemy.

Arianna hadn't gone far. But she was feeling suffocated in this fortress of stone and went somewhere where she could get a breeze and stay out of the way. She ran up the winding staircase until she found the large statue of Helm Hammerhand, holding the large horn which would only be sounded if the riders were charge out to the enemy. Fat chance of that happening any time soon, Arianna thought to herself. Théoden's idea of protecting his people was to back them into a corner and be swept over by the enemy.

She shook her head and sat at the statues feet. She knew Théoden believed he was doing the right thing. It just bothered her to know that he could be doing something better and wouldn't listen to anyone else. But considering his last adviser, she could understand that he might be unwilling to accept the advice of anyone else for a while. She looked up into the sky as it swiftly got dark. Being in a valley shortened their day by a large margin. She watched as the first star poked its way through the dark sky. And she did something that she hadn't done since she was a small child. She wished on it.

She wished that tonight could go well and that they'd survive the upcoming battle. She wished for her brother and Arwen, and that they would find each other and grow old together, even if it did take a long time to do so. She wished for Gimli, and that he'd be able to go back to the home he spoke so fondly of and give the fellowship a tour just as he'd promised. She wished for Frodo and Sam wherever they were, and Marina and Pippin as well. She wished for Gandalf to find Èomer and get him here in time. Finally she wished for Legolas to understand why she'd been upset, and forgive her for her outburst. By the time she was done and had opened her eyes, there were more stars out. In fact, there were nine stars exactly. She smiled and wiped away the single tear that fell.

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_Yes yes yes, it's finally happend! It's only been what, 21 chapters all told? Lol. Well next chapter we'll be getting some action. No not that kind of action, get your minds out of the gutter people! We have a war to fight here! And tell me how suckish my kissing scene was. I haven't had a first kiss myself, so I'm writing based off of what I wish would happen :P And just think, I'll be 20 in...two and half weeks! On that note, please review, it means the world!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	7. Chapter 7

And then…

Chapter 7

Arianna stood with a groan from her seat at the feet of Helm Hammerhand. It was going to be a long night, and she might as well do something useful while cooling off her temper. She went back down the stairs and walked long in front of the hall. There, she sat on the steps looking around at the men and boys who had gathered there. One boy in particular was looking confused and frightened.

"Give me your sword." She called to him. He hesitantly took a step toward her, then gave her the blade nervously. "What's your name?" she asked him. Legolas stood a ways away out of sight watching her work her calming magic. He could tell the boy was nervous, but Arianna spoke as if they had met by the road on a warm spring day.

"Háleth, son of Háma, my lady." He hesitated then said something he looked like he'd wanted to say out loud for a while. "The men are saying we will not live out the night. They say it is hopeless." Arianna looked steadily at him, her face showing no emotion. Háma had been killed in the Warg attack. The poor boy was fatherless, and was now being brought violently into a man's world. He had no guide for his journey either. She decided at that moment that he was the one she was fighting this war for. Not herself, not the king, but Háleth, son of Háma. She stood and swung the sword a few times experimentally.

"This is a good sword, Háleth." She handed it back to him and placed a hand to his shoulder. She bent down so she looked straight into his face. "And don't worry, there is always hope. I'll check up on you time to time to make sure you and your friends are having fun." She grinned and winked at the boy who smiled shyly back, and walked away. Legolas watched at Háleth walked back to his friends around the fire, and told them what 'Lady Aria' had said. The elf smiled and walked away into the shadows.

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Marina paced back and forth. She'd already worn a small trail in the grass of the clearing since she's been doing so for hours. Pippin had fallen asleep soon after the Entmoot had begun, but Marina was too excited to sleep. The fate of Middle Earth might hang on the outcome of this meeting of giants. But as the Entmoot wore on, her pacing had become more worried than excited. What was taking so long? The sun had started to set, already hidden behind the mountains. The glade had turned the soft blue of twilight, yet the talk continued. She heard Pippin stir and turned to see him waking up. He stood and stretched, walking towards her.

"This thing has been going on for hours, what is taking so long?" she asked him, knowing he didn't have an answer.

"They must have decided something by now." Pippin said with a shrug, voicing Marina's opinion exactly.

"Decided?" Treebeard said in surprise. "No. We've only just finished saying 'good morning'."

"But it's night time already." Marina pointed out in annoyance. Treebeard looked around as if only just noticing that himself. "You can't take forever!"

"Don't be hasty." Was all he said and her eyes narrowed.

"Treebeard please! We're running out of time! We're _all_ running out of time!"

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Arianna looked at the sky, now completely dark. The enemy would be here soon. She stood with a sudden energy and walked down through the fortress, until she reached a small room in the underground section. There was her armor and clothing where she'd left it to be cleaned. She changed shirts from the too large red one she'd borrowed as her own clothing dried. She pulled on the white shirt and using strips of leather, bound the loose fabric to her forearms to keep it out of the way. She then slipped on a chain mail shirt which had been altered to fit her. She pulled on the vest over it, no longer a solid green but splotched with brown from all the dirt that hadn't come out in its recent scrubbing. She hurriedly tied the knots and slipped the leather skirt over her leggings and the bottom of the long chain mail shirt. Her long coat went over everything, covering all signs of the chain mail. Finally she wrapped her belt around her waist, securing her dagger and belt pouch. When she went to grab her sword from where it had been laying on the table, she found it within her reach sooner than she expected. She looked to see Legolas holding the sword out to her. He looked into her eyes.

"We've trusted you this far and you've not led up astray. Forgive me, I was wrong to despair." He said, a bit nervously she noted. Arianna smiled at him as she took the sword.

"There's nothing to forgive, we both said things without thinking, don't worry about it."

"You were only saying what you believe…"

"And you weren't? Legolas, you were right about the odds not being in our favor. But that's not going to stop us from fighting to try and save the people here. The king may not be the most likable of people. But there are a few very nice laundry women down in those caves, a funny apprentice blacksmith and a grouchy old stable hand that can charm any horse with a whisper. There are young boys who were taken from their mothers to fight and possibly never to see them again. Those are the people I am fighting to save here." She put her fingers under his chin and made him look up at her. "Yes I will fight and die with these people. They don't deserve to be killed in a war they didn't help create."

"How do you do that?" he asked her. She raised her eyebrows.

"Do what?"

"Make me feel so incredibly guilty?" but he was smiling as he said it.

"What can I say, I'm talented." She said smugly.

"Talented huh?" he moved closer and she looked up at him through her eyelashes. Like lightning he dashed forwards, picked her up and swung her over his shoulder, chain mail and all. She shrieked and laughed as he spun around in circles. She had to beg him to put her down before he would do so, but by that time she was so dizzy she had to promptly grab his arm to keep from falling over. He snaked his arms around her waist and held her closer. And then those big blue eyes were holding her gaze again, and their lips came together in a kiss. When they were both breathless, they came apart. Arianna smiled up at him.

"I should get mad at you more often, I like the results." The elf swooped in for another kiss, his lips teasing. By the time he was done, Arianna was simply hanging limply in his arms. If he let go she felt as if she would melt in a puddle on the floor. Finally she smacked him. "Stop that, or we'll be late for battle." Legolas laughed and let her go. Arianna grabbed a few more knives and was hiding them in various places on her person when Gimli came in. When she looked at him, she had turn away to hide her smothered laughter. He was wearing a chain mail shirt which was much too large for him, you could tell. The worst of it was that he'd pulled it up to the appropriate length; the extra bunched up on his chest made it look like had breasts.

"If we had time, I'd get this adjusted…"he muttered, and he dropped the chain mail only to pile up on the floor. This almost set Arianna off laughing again, but she kept it down to raising her eyebrows. He looked up at them accusingly. "It's a bit tight across the chest!" he said trying to make himself look a little less odd. It didn't work, but the elf and the girl only nodded politely, with tiny smiles. At least, they were serious until Arianna let out a small snort, and they both burst out laughing. Gimli huffed but chuckled. When they had calmed down they heard a faint horn call. Arianna shushed them to hear another, louder this time.

"That is no Orc horn." Legolas said as if he didn't quite believe himself. Arianna dashed past the other two and ran up the stairs onto the wall. From there she could see an army. Not Saruman's, but an army none the less. Their bows were identical, they wore long cloaks with the hoods pulled up, and a familiar elf was leading them up the causeway. She smiled widely and ran down more stairs. Finally she came to the top of the last flight of steps. She looked down to see Haldir of Lothlórian standing there talking with Théoden. He looked up at her and smiled as he finished what he was saying to the king. Arianna ran down the stairs and threw her arms around his neck. She could sense his surprise but he hugged her back. She pulled away and smiled widely at him.

"You are most welcome." She said with so much gratitude in her voice that he smiled back. Then the others had come down too. Haldir hugged Legolas as well, and shook hands with Aragorn. He even nodded at Gimli. Théoden stepped forward, admitting that he didn't know how the elves fought and that he shouldn't be the one directing them. Aragorn was soon appointed to the task, with Arianna as his second in command. She didn't like it, but even she had to admit she was the best one for the job.

About an hour later, all positions had been discussed and planned out. Everyone was in their places and silent as they all awaited the coming battle. The creaking of wood somewhere seemed loud enough to shatter the very air that they breathed. Coming towards them, they could see the torches of the Uruk-hai army. There were so many that their marching echoed throughout the canyon that Helm's Deep was nestled in. Aragorn and Arianna were pacing back and forth, giving advice to the elves about weaknesses and forcing themselves and everyone else to eat a roll stuffed with cooked potatoes. It wouldn't do for them to be too hungry to fight. Finally they reached the end of the wall where they would split up each commanding one side so their orders could be heard. Aragorn would be heading back down to the other end of the wall. Legolas and Gimli were stationed here, relatively near the middle of Arianna's half of the wall, although Gimli was complaining because he couldn't see over the stone. When Aragorn and Arianna walked up to them Gimli looked up at Arianna sideways.

"Well lassie, the luck you live by. Let's hope it lasts the night." Arianna smiled at him as Aragorn patted each of them on the shoulder.

"Your friends are with you Aragorn." Legolas assured him.

"Let's hope they last the night." Gimli grumbled. Arianna smacked the back of his helmet, and slipped her hand into Legolas's. Aragorn walked away, after giving Arianna a one armed hug.

"Here we go." Arianna said softly, looking at the approaching enemy. Gimli looked up at her face. Her face might have been calm, but her eyes showed a hint of fear and worry.

"Surely you're used to this kind of thing?" he asked gruffly. She gave a sad chuckle.

"You never get used to war. No matter how many times you go through it." She shook her head. "But I'll put away emotions for now; they'll have to wait until this is over." She clapped the dwarf on the shoulder and kissed Legolas on the cheek before walking away to make sure her charges were absolutely ready. As she strolled along the wall, it suddenly started to rain, the drops pinging off the plate armor worn by the soldiers.

"Of course it _would_ rain on the one night we'll be fighting an army." She muttered to herself. One of the elven soldiers nearby heard and snorted. She poked him in the back and he straightened his face again. "_Don't you get me in trouble."_ She told him in elvish with an extremely fake stern voice. "_If I have my soldiers laughing at me, then people will think I'm a _fun_ person. And we wouldn't want that, now would we_?" The bowmen look at each other. They weren't used to a leader with a sense of humor. She watched as the enemy came as far forwards as it was going to. They all started pounding the butts of their spears into the ground and slamming their swords against their shields in rhythm. It was a scare tactic. A poor one by an experienced soldier's standards, but it might frighten the old farmers and young boys that had been forced to fight. Arianna raised her voice so everyone on her section of the wall would hear.

"_The enemy is here! The time to fight has come! You hear my brother over there, saying to show no mercy. And he's right! It's time to show these beasts that we won't hold for their plans for our world!" _Then at that moment, an arrow was accidentally shot from the higher wall to Arianna's left. "Hold!" she shouted in common, knowing that it wasn't an elf that had let the arrow fly. She heard her twin shouting in elvish further down the wall. The Uruks had stopped their pounding when the shot one had fallen forward, dead. Arianna had to admit that if you absolutely _had_ to let go of the bow string, a shot like that was the way to do it. But then Saruman's army surged forward in a charge. "_Ready your bows!" _she shouted. Even over the rain she could hear Legolas telling the elves around him the weak places in the Uruk-hai armor. Finally she lowered her arm, shouting "_Fire!"_ A large bunch of Uruks fell, but it seemed a tiny amount compared to the masses that were running towards them.

"Anyone hit anything?" she heard Gimli asking. She sidled over to where he stood.

"These are elven archers Gimli, of course they did!" she called to him. Some of the elves cheered at that. "_Fire at will."_ She told the archers on the wall, and then she turned to the archers on the ground inside the wall. Using her sword as a signaler, she waved the command for them to fire. The rain of arrows soared over her head, raining down of the surging Uruk-hai. She watched as her archers shot and killed what was becoming a pileup of Uruk-hai, but stopped to watch the enemy from where one of her own people had been shot and fallen from the wall. Some of the Uruks were moving in a strange pattern, she soon saw why as they lifted up wooden structures out of the crowd and towards the wall.

"_Ladders!" _she shouted to her archers. She heard Gimli's shout of "Good!" and smiled. He had only asked to know a few words in elvish before the battle, and 'ladders' had been his favorite. But happy thoughts were cut off when a ladder leaned itself on the wall right in front of her and she had to focus on fighting. She quickly stabbed the first Orc who had caught a ride up, and cut off the arm of the next one who tried to climb. Then she pushed as hard as she could against the wooden ladder, until it swung out into the air behind it and fell, the heavy wood hopefully crushing a few skulls.

Shortly after, they had a kind of pattern established. Half of the archers continued to fire on those on the ground. About a third had pulled out swords, and was killing those who had reached the wall, and the rest had joined Arianna in a team which concentrated on pushing the ladders back down to the ground. Gimli was the only odd one out, having taken a station on the wall between two ladders and simply cutting down the orcs that climbed up. No one moved to push those ladders down, the dwarf was having too much fun.

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Marina was back to her pacing. The small path she'd worn was now practically a full out road. At least that's how it felt to her. Knowing the Ents, they'd probably realized it was night and spent the next few hours saying 'Good Evening'.

"This shouldn't be taking so long." She complained to Pippin.

"Mari." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just be patient." The Treebeard turned and came towards them and they hurried over.

"We have just agreed." The Ent said, and then nodded a few times, appearing to fall asleep.

"Um..Treebeard?" Marina called to him. His golden eyes blinked open once more.

"I have told your names to the Entmoot, and we have all agreed that you are not orcs." He said proudly, a smile on his face like he expected praise.

"Well that's good news!" Pippin explained, but Marina shook her head.

"But it's not the issue at hand. Have you made any decisions about Saruman? He's the one who's the danger now, we need your help."

"Now don't be hasty Miss Marina." Treebeard said, but she shook her head.

"Will you stop saying that?! I'm not being hasty, I'm trying to save lives! Our friends are out there and they need our help. They cannot fight this war on their own. And they won't have to if we help them."

"War, yes. It affects us all." Treebeard said in his rumbling voice. "But you must understand, Young Hobbit. It takes a long time to say anything in old Entish, and we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say." He then turned back to the others, and they resumed their groaning and rocking back and forth. Marina just sat down in the grass, burying her head in her hands.

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After what seemed an age of ladder pushing, Arianna noticed a group of orcs traveling up the causeway holding their shields over their heads for cover from the over head archers. Arianna got a few of her's to shoot at them, getting them in their unprotected side. While they did that, Arianna looked around to see what else needed doing. Then she saw something that made her blood freeze. One of the Uruk-hai was carrying a special, sparking torch, brighter than all the rest. And he was running towards the drain where the water got into the keep.

"Legolas!" she shouted desperately. "_Shoot him Legolas! Bring him down! Hurry!" _Legolas shot him once…twice…and was about to do it a third time when the Uruk took a flying leap into the drain. Too late, Arianna realized that she was standing right above the thing. She groaned as she felt the stones shift under her feet, almost in slow motion. And then she was airborne. She could imagine the look of disbelief on Théoden's face when the wall of his impenetrable keep exploded. Strange thought to have at the moment, but that was all she had the chance to think of because she hit the ground and lost consciousness.

And here was the blackness again. Arianna figured that she and the blackness could start courting each other they knew each other so well by now. Although it wouldn't make a good partner. You couldn't hold hands or kiss it or anything. Not like Legolas, he was huggable. Arianna would have smacked herself for that thought if she'd been in her right mind, but this Arianna was content to just sit in the dark and think about her huggable, kissable Legolas. Goodness, she was out of it. Then she heard noise. Arianna knew that she'd be coming to in a moment, and most likely to pain and a harsh reality. She braced herself…

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Marina had flopped back to lay spread-eagled on the cool grass. She closed her eyes, as watching the stars move across the sky made the slow passage of time too obvious. She heard the rumbling steps of Treebeard coming over to talk to them and stood up in a flash.

"The Ents cannot hold back this war. We must weather such things as we have always done." Treebeard said gravely. Marina's jaw dropped.

"But…how can you believe that?!" Marina protested.

"This is not our war." Treebeard tried to explain to her, but she interrupted him.

"This war is for all of Middle Earth. You're a part of this world aren't you? Don't you want to fight for it? Please, you must help! There must be something you can do to help us!" she pleaded. But Treebeard just shook his head.

"You are young and brave Miss Marina. But your part in this tale is over. Go back to your home." Marina stomped away, trying to hide the tears swimming in her eyes. It was all lost, everything. She wiped her eyes and slowly pulled her coat back on. It was filthy. But where it once reminded her of home, it now it reminded her of this journey. And she didn't want it to end yet. Not when the outcome was still so unsure. Pippin put a gentle hand on her shoulder, he knew she was upset, just not the full reason for it.

"Maybe Treebeard's right. We don't belong here Mari. It's too big for us. What can we do in the end?" he asked. "We've got the Shire, maybe we _should_ go home."

"The fires of Isengard won't be contained Pip. And the forests of the Shire will burn. And the home that we love so much will no longer exist." She turned and looked Pippin in the eyes. "Pippin…there won't _be_ a Shire to call home.." She told him, allowing a tear to fall before she turned away.

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_I'm back! Please accept my appologies, these past few weeks have insanely busy, first with finals, then with a trip to Rome for two weeks, and now with doctor's appointments and such. Not to mention trying to find the bottom of my room :P_

_In any case, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter! I do, it feels like it has a good rhythem to it for some reason. I was reading it over to check for mistakes and totally got absorbed into the story. if the author is absorbed, then I can only hope all of you were as well, lol. Please review, it will mean tons to know if people are still reading this story after my extended absence!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Arianna awoke to find her face plastered against the gravel of what had once been the stone wall of Helm's Deep. She put her arms down and pushed herself of the ground, wiping the dirt off as she went. A roar behind her made her look at see the army of Uruks running straight towards her. Some part of Arianna's brain knew she'd never be able to stand up and fight in time, she was still too dazed. A sudden shout of her name from above made her and some of the Orcs look up to see Gimli jump all the way from the top of the wall onto one of the beasts. The monster was crushed to the ground, and those around him were soon cut down by a large ax. Arianna was able to stand up.

"Gimli!" She shouted to him. "Prepare to charge!" but the dwarf was knocked down and under the water where he'd been fighting.

"_Fire!" _she shouted to the elves behind her. They shot all around her hitting the orcs coming through the new gap in the wall. As one she and the group of elves drew their swords and she sounded the charge. They ran forwards, jumping into the battle. Thankfully the enemy was bottlenecked. Only so many could fit thought the gap at one time, so Arianna was able to quickly slash herself to where Gimli had fallen. She pulled him sputtering from the pool. As they continued fighting, she saw Legolas slide down a nearby staircase on an abandoned shield, shooting his bow on the way down of course. He joined the fray after sliding the shield so it would slice its way into an Orc's chest. Aragorn had followed on foot, simply pushing orcs off the wall as he went.

They fought that way for what seemed like forever, cutting down the never ending flood of enemies. Until Arianna heard Théoden calling her brother to pull everyone back to the keep. Aragorn started to repeat the order to the others fighting. She looked up on the wall to warn those up there. She saw Haldir fighting with his sword.

"_Haldir_!" she called to him. "_Pull back!"_ He nodded at her then started telling the others under his command. Behind her, Arianna heard Gimli asking what they were doing, and she turned to see him being dragged from the battle by Legolas and another elf. She turned back to Haldir in time to see him hit by an Uruk. She called his name and ran towards the stairs. She fought her way towards him, but couldn't get there in time and he was cut down. He fell to his knees looking around in surprise. The moment she reached him, he fell back into her arms and died. Arianna didn't shed any tears. At the moment she couldn't, but she knew she'd cry for him later. She placed a hand on his chest and kissed his forehead before laying him down. Then she stood up, seething. In her anger, she ran towards the nearest ladder and jumped on it, riding it as it fell to the ground. She jumped off shortly before landing and rolled. Then she was up and slicing. Anyone around her went down quickly, her anger improving her skill. She fought her way through the crowd, through the hole in the wall, and up to the gate before the enemy even got there.

They slammed the gate shut as soon as she got there, she'd been the last. They told her that everyone else was at the causeway gate. That's where the enemy had brought the big rams, and that's where she was to go. Arianna gave them a nod of thanks and rushed off. When she arrived the hall behind the gates was filled with men in armor. Despite their hard work, the gates wouldn't hold much longer. She saw that Théoden had been wounded, a spear like hole in his armor.

"Hold them!" he called to them all. Arianna noticed that Aragorn had taken charge of the situation and was directing where they placed the wooden bracing poles. She looked around. If she were to join the fray, she wouldn't be able to help enough to make a difference. There had to be some way to give the king and his men time to escape. The gate wasn't going to hold much longer, and they needed to get out of there. She had a sudden idea when she saw the tiny doorway to the side of the tower. She looked around, then back to the king.

"How long do you need?" she asked him. He raised his eyebrows but didn't question her.

"As long as you can give me." He admitted. She nodded decisively, and waded into the mess. She grabbed Gimli's shoulder and dragged him backwards and through the tiny door before he could even ask what was going on. They went down a short, unlit hallway before reaching another door. Before she opened it, Gimli stopped her.

"What exactly are we doin' now lass?"

"We are going to single handedly give all those men inside time to pull back before the gate collapses." The dwarf nodded happily.

"Just making sure." Arianna chuckled, and then quieted down as she opened the door. The two of them slipped out onto a rocky ledge. She shut the door behind them with practiced silence, and the gray painted wood shut seamlessly, blending in enough with the stone to go unnoticed. She slid along the wall and peered around the corner. There, about two yards away was the top of the causeway where the Uruks were banging on the gate. She leaned back and looked at the dwarf. "Come on, we can take 'em!" Gimli whispered excitedly. She smiled a bit.

"It's a long jump, and I don't think any of _them_ will save you by the hair on your chin." The dwarf leaned forward, looking around her. His eyes widened, and he looked at the ground.

"Toss me." He said softly. Arianna grinned wider.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" she said, overly polite.

"I cannot jump the distance so you'll have to toss me." He grumbled. She nodded and grabbed the back of his shirt, trying to grab the leather and not the chain mail under it. "Uh…" he said looking up at her pleadingly, "Don't tell the elf." Her smile grew.

"No promises." And then she turned, using the momentum of Gimli's jump to spin and toss him over to the stone of the causeway. She backed up and made a running jump over to join the dwarf.

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Legolas ran to where the king was standing.

"Has Lady Arianna gotten here yet?" he asked quickly. The king turned to him with a grimace from his wound.

"A while ago Master Elf. She's been and gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" The king didn't have to use words. He simply pointed towards the gate. Legolas turned, eyes traveling past working men, new wood lining part of the gate, the old splintered wood, and out through the large hole to see Arianna and Gimli fighting outside. Alone! "What is she doing?" he asked, more to himself than anything, but Théoden answered anyway.

"Keeping us all alive my friend. She's quite a woman." And although Legolas couldn't argue that, he could argue against how she chose to be incredible.

"How is she going to get back in?"

"She didn't say, but they can't come back in the way they got out." Legolas growled to himself as he ran off again. Incredible woman notwithstanding, Arianna had a talent for getting herself into trouble. She may be saving everyone else with her heroics but she hadn't planned an escape route before starting them, of that he was sure. He ran up the stairs, grabbing a length of rope on the way. Finally he reached the top of the tower where the gate was, several stories above it. He was pleased to find that the younger boys had found a way to keep themselves mostly out of danger but still be useful. The rocks they were throwing were mostly likely leaving dents in the heads of many Uruks. He leaned over the wall to see the last of the light from inside the gate disappear. That meant that the new lining had been put up, and he could get the two idiots out of there. He placed a foot on the wall and called.

"Arianna!" He saw her look up then get back to fighting. They would soon be overwhelmed. He threw down the rope until it hung on the wall near the cause way. Arianna spun, slashing a large number of the Uruks in the process, then leaned out and grabbed the rope. She pulled Gimli over who grabbed the rope for dear life. Legolas braced himself for their weight as Arianna and the dwarf swung out to the side of stone platform. The space they had vacated was soon swarming with the enemy, pounding at the door again. But then Legolas had to concentrate on pulling the rope. A few of the older men came over to help. They may be too old to swing a sword around, but they still worked hard and were strong.

Soon they were near the top. Gimli was pulled over the wall first, needing three men to bring him. Once he let go of the rope, the weight diminished so much that Legolas had to look to make sure that Arianna was still hanging on. Even with the chain mail, her weight seemed like nothing after removing the dwarf from the amount. He was able to pull her the rest of the way by himself while Gimli and the three men got untangled. When her arm came within reach, he grabbed that instead and let go of the rope. Soon they were both sitting on the stone floor behind the wall, panting. Legolas waited only a few seconds before scolding her.

"What were you thinking?" he asked. "You could have been killed! And how were you planning on getting out of there?" The infernal female just grinned and patted him on the shoulder.

"I knew you'd come through." She said happily. He could only stare at her. "I was worried about you too." She said kindly, and stood. That's when he realized that Théoden was calling the retreat, and they were the only people left on the tower. He stood quickly and followed her. He reached her just in time to catch her as her knees gave out. He hauled her along as she gained her footing again. "I guess that scratch was a bit worse than I thought." She said, and Legolas groaned at her nonchalance. But despite her casual tone and infuriatingly dangerous heroics, he wouldn't change a single thing about the woman he now helped along.

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Marina allowed her head to rest on Pippin's knee. Since his seat in Treebeard's branches was higher than her's, it made for a perfect pillow. She was tired and depressed and didn't know what to even think anymore. Treebeard seemed to sense this, and told them his plan of action.

"I will leave you at the western borders of the forest. You can make your way north to your homeland from there."

"Wait, stop. Stop!" Pippin exclaimed. Marina lifted her head and looked up at him. "Turn around, take us south!" he said happily and her eyes went wide.

"South? But…that would lead you past Isengard!" Treebeard exclaimed.

"Yes, exactly! If we go south we can slip past Isengard unnoticed. The closer we are to danger the farther we are from harm. It's the last thing he'll expect." Pippin said slyly. Marina was very confused now, what was he thinking?

"Hmm…that doesn't make much sense to me." Treebeard admitted. "But then…you are very small. Perhaps you're right. South it is then." He turned direction and started walking again. "Hold on little Shirelings. I always liked going south, somehow it feels like going downhill." Marina stood up, bracing herself, so that she could whisper to Pippin.

"Have you lost your mind? There's no way we could sneak by Saruman's tower unnoticed, we'll get caught!"

"No we won't. Not this time." He said confidently. He patted her hand. "Just trust me on this one." He winked and she had to smirk. She sat back down wondering what scheme her friend had come up with. It didn't take long to reach the southern border of the forest. Especially as much of it had been torn down and the border was nearer than any of them had known. Treebeard stopped in mid story, obviously shocked. Marina was shocked as well. Miles of the forest edge had been cut down and burned. It was such an act of cruelty that tears almost filled her eyes again.

"Many of these trees were my friends." Treebeard said in shock. "Creatures I had known from nut and acorn."

"I'm sorry Treebeard." Pippin said. Marina looked up at him. Had he guessed this had happened?

"They had voices of their own!" Treebeard said, sounding like he wanted to cry. Although Marina didn't know if the Ents could cry. "Saruman." He said very angrily as he saw the smoking Isengard. "A wizard should know better!" His leaves rustled in anger and he let out a deafening roar. Marina slapped her hands over her ears, one arm wrapped around a branch to keep herself from falling off. "There is no curse in elvish, Entish, or the words of men for this treachery."

"Look at the trees, they're moving!" Pippin exclaimed, Marina looked where he pointed to see the entire forest making its way along the previously empty ground.

"But where are they going?" she asked.

"They have business with the orcs." Treebeard explained. "My business is with Isengard tonight. With rock and stone." Marina heard the stomping of the Ents and turned to see dozens of them emerging from the forest. A smile grew on her face.

"Yes!" she said, excitement bubbling in her chest. She patted Pippin's knee happily. "Pippin, you are a genius!"

"Rárum-rum! Come my friends. The Ents are going to war. It is likely that we go to our doom. The last march of the Ents." Marina looked up at Pippin with a smirk and he smiled back down at her. If they lived through it, this was going to be a battle neither would ever forget.

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Arianna thought for a moment that Legolas would have to carry her inside, but she regained her footing soon after. She had to keep a hand on his shoulder though, even though he kept shooting at the enemy until the wall was in the way. Her grip was stronger than she would have liked, and her legs were feeling much too wobbly for her tastes. Legolas swung his bow over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He led her into the main hall and sat her down on a bench as the rest of the soldiers filed inside.

"Where'd you get hurt?" he asked quietly. He'd chosen a bench in a corner, so they were out of the way and out of notice. She slipped off her jacket to reveal a long cut up the back of her arm. Her sleeve was red with blood.

"Well that's not going to wash out easily." She said conversationally. Legolas glared at her softly and turned her sideways. He sat behind her on the bench and wrapped up her arm with some handy bandages after cutting away the sleeve with a knife. As some of the men rushed to brace the doors, a few were handing around buckets of water. When one reached them, Arianna grabbed the full ladle. One ladle-full went over her head, and another went to her lips. She put it back in the bucket and shook her sopping hair, tendrils had long since come out of the braid she'd done and flicked water all about her. Legolas would have growled at her, but he had done the same thing, and few drops of water didn't make a difference anymore. He finished tying the bandage and she turned around again pulling on her jacket.

They looked around. The number of fighters left was pitiful. They were holed up in the fort's last defense, and they were all that was standing between Saruman's army and the women and children. They were in trouble. There was nothing to say other than that. The bandage and water had made Arianna feel a bit better, so she stood and started helping with the others bracing the door. Théoden was just standing there however, a blank look on his face. She went over to him.

"Your majesty?" she questioned. He looked slowly up at her.

"You're not dead yet?" he asked quietly.

"No, sire, I'm not. What are your orders?"

"Orders? We've all seen where my orders have gotten us."

"Is this about the causeway thing? Or the explosion?"

"How could fire do such damage?" Théoden's voice was only a fait whisper. "I know that we discussed…" Arianna's temper snapped.

"You knew about the weakness in the drain!?" she said, no longer bothering to keep her voice down. He looked up at her with his old temper.

"Yes I did, but I didn't think Gríma would ever find out!"

"He was a _spy_!!! Of course he's going to search for any weakness you may have! He was also your advisor. You can't tell me that you didn't "discuss" the matter of that weakness with him."

"Well…I might have."

"You might have? You knew about a potential weakness, and you didn't think to mention it when we were planning? So we could maybe have kept an eye out and kept such a thing from happening?" Legolas came over, and pulled her away by her good arm. "What?" she asked him, still angry.

"You need to calm down. You're not helping the moral situation any with all your accusations of their king." Arianna knew he was right, and felt ashamed.

"And I thought Aragorn's temper was bad." She said, half laughing. She looked back. "Speaking of…"

"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defended it. They still defend it. They have died defending it!" her twin was shouting. Legolas went back to help with the door, and Arianna went to her brother. She laid a hand on his arm. Then she turned to the king.

"Is there another way for the women and children to escape from the caves?" No one answered and the king sat in silence. She turned to Gamling. "Is there another way?" Gamling hesitated, but finally told her.

"There is one passage. It leads into the mountains, but they will not get far, the Uruk-hai are too many." Arianna took his arm and turned away from the king.

"We'll need a messenger to send word to Èowyn. She'll lead the women and children through the mountain pass. We'll also need to barricade the entrance, alright?" Gamling nodded, grateful to have a clear job to do. Meanwhile, the man did his best not to hear Théoden despair about "reckless hate". Arianna took a deep breath; the King of Rohan looked like he was going to be difficult.

_----------------------------------------------------_

_Well, I know i've been updating these really slowly, but theres a good reason for that! Besides me being busy anyways, lol._

_There's only one more chapter and then the Two Towers portion of this stoy will be over. And I only have the first chapter of Return of the King done . I'm extremely behind, I know! Anyways, it'll be a while before I start posting those chapters, so I figured I'd make you wait for these last few chapters a bit longer and hopefully shorten the break it'll be between this story and the next. Please don't hurt me!_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the next one is the last! Please review!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Ride out with me." Everyone turned to Aragorn to see a determined look on his face. Arianna sighed and resettled her jacket over the bandage. The king looked like he had finally found a direction. "Ride out and meet them." Her twin finished.

"For death and glory." Théoden said, starting to look like a king again. It was about time, Arianna thought.

"For Rohan."

"For your people." Arianna added.

"The sun is rising." Gimli said softly. The sudden change in the pattern of the conversation startled Arianna into action. She ran to the back of the hall to the door which led to the underground stables. A few of the boys who'd been throwing rocks earlier followed her, including Háleth. They were stable boys anyway; it was what they did best. They hurried to the horses and quickly saddled them all, sending them upstairs to be claimed by their riders. When Arianna saddled Vanya, she led her upstairs, being the last rider to join the group. She jumped up into the saddle and took her place next to Legolas. Then above them, they heard a loud horn call. Arianna realized that someone was blowing the large horn on the statue of Helm Hammerhand, sounding the charge. She also noticed that Gimli wasn't there. She was surprised he'd given up battle to sound the horn, but then he did hate riding.

Then two soldiers pulled the doors open, they would shut and bar them again when they'd all gone. At the sound of the next horn call, Théoden led the group out the doors and down the stairs. They slashed at the surprised Uruk-hai as they went. Through the fortress they rode, none of the enemy prepared enough to defend themselves. When they charged through the gate above the causeway, they were simply bowling them all off the sides.

As they emerged into the large crowd of Uruk-hai, everyone slashed out in every direction. Legolas stayed on Arianna's left side since her left arm was too weak to hold a shield and was mostly unprotected. She cursed the wound, but was very glad that Legolas had opted not to leave her side. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that the hill in the east was starting to glow as if it was on fire. The sun was rising. She looked at it and saw a figure dressed in white, straddling a white horse.

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Marina held a wealth of rocks in the crook of her left arm, and was throwing them with deadly accuracy at the orcs that swarmed the ground. Pippin was doing the same, his shots just as dead on as hers. Marina was having the time of her life. Despite Treebeard's belief that the Ents wouldn't survive this attack, she'd known they had the upper hand. Not even Saruman was going to expect the Ents to fight back. And she'd been right. Now the orcs on the ground fought back in vain. They were too disorganized to have many successful assaults, and the few that were weren't successful for long.

Once the hobbits ran out of ammunition, Treebeard gave the order to break the dam. Saruman had dammed up the river to use its power for his own uses. Now, the Ents easily tore it apart. As the released river thundered down the mountain side, Marina gripped Treebeard's bark tightly.

"Hold on Pip!" she called to him.

"Hold on Little Hobbits!" Treebeard warned them both right before the waters crashed into them. The Ents all braced themselves against it, and Marina and Pippin held on tight so that the sudden force wouldn't knock them loose from their perch. Marina cheered as the water washed away much of Saruman's crude structures. If she was any happier, she was going to explode.

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"Gandalf." Arianna whispered, and then said it again louder so everyone would know. "It's Gandalf! He's returned!" She felt a smile break across her face as she saw another figure come up next to the wizard. He had a long horsetail on his helmet, and she knew it to be Èomer. She fought with new energy, knowing that help was on the way and that they might actually win this battle. Soon Gandalf and Èomer led the riders in a charge right down the steep hill. The enemy nearby got in a line and lowered their pikes, thinking the newcomers were about to practically commit suicide. But just before they reached the prepared Uruks, the sun crested the hill entirely, shining right into their faces. It was bright enough to be painful, and most of the Uruks raised their spears in their hurry to protect their eyes. Soon, they found themselves being torn to shreds by the White Wizard, Èomer and those who followed them. The group Arianna was fighting in charged towards the other group, and they met up in the middle of a panicked enemy. Shortly afterwards the Uruk-hai realized that they were losing and they fled to the entrance to the canyon. Arianna lined up with her fellow protector's of Helm's Deep, and they watched as the Uruks ran in fear into the trees.

"Wait…there wasn't a forest there before, was there?" she asked Legolas who shook his head. She sat up and smirked. "Well then, I guess Marina and Pippen did some good in Fangorn Forest after all." They watched as the last of the enemy ducked under the trees, heedless of their danger. Suddenly the trees started swaying and groaning. Horrible shrieks of pain and terror emerged, and Arianna wished she could cover her ears to block it out. She closed her eyes instead, and felt Legolas take her hand. The sounds faded away and she looked at him. His eyes asked if she was alright.

"It's over then. We won." She said softly. They all turned as one, letting Théoden take the lead back into the fortress. Once they were back they all split up, searching for their loved ones. Gimli came down and found Legolas, patting each other on the back and arguing over who'd gotten the most kills. Èowyn found Aragorn and embraced him tightly. Arianna watched these encounters feeling a bit jealous. But then she heard young voices calling out.

"Aunt Aria!" "Lady Aria!" She smiled and turned, ducking down so that various children she'd met could tackle her at their own level. She was hugged tightly by Freda and Èothain, then Haleth and one of his friends who she'd complimented on his speed at saddling a horse in the stables. They ran off again, back to find their parents. She grinned happily as Erynion landed gently on her shoulder. She had her own friends who cared about her. Legolas came up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist.

"You remember all that rest you said I needed?" she asked him. He nodded. "Well, I think I'm just about ready to pass out now." Legolas chuckled softly. He turned her sideways and picked her up bridal style. She laughed at him as he carried her somewhere where they'd be out of the way. Neither of them noticed the looks they were getting from others, but neither of them would have cared even if they had seen. Finally, Legolas found an empty corner that no one had claimed other than an empty basket that had once held potatoes. It was turned upside down in the corner, and Legolas set Arianna down next to it.

"I'll be right back." He told her, and went to find a blanket or something to hold off the chill. By the time he'd found one and returned, Arianna was fast asleep, leaning on the basket. Slowly and carefully, Legolas maneuvered the sleeping ranger about until he replaced the basket in the corner and she was laying on him. He settled back against the wall and looked down into Arianna's face. Her hair was drying by now, the strands around her face no longer plastered to her skin. Some was still tucked into a braid that still hung down behind her, brushing the ground as they were slouched down. Her eyes were closed, and the worry lines that had been around her eyes were gone in the first peaceful sleep she'd had for days. Legolas shifted a bit in order to drape the blanket over the both of them, and in her sleep, Arianna grabbed the front of his tunic, holding the fabric gently in her fist. He grinned before closing his own eyes. It may be the end of the battle, but this was the beginning of something new.

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Marina wandered about Isengard. The water from the river had finally stopped flowing and become a still lake. It came up over her waist, but she didn't mind. Being dirty had become second nature, and the water wasn't cold enough to bother her after nights of sleeping in the open. She came up behind Pippin who was watching Saruman's tower. The white wizard circled his balcony, overlooking Isengard with a look of disbelief. It seemed the possibility of failure had never occurred to him.

"Well he certainly doesn't look happy does he?" she asked her friend.

"Not to happy at all, Mari." Pippin said, sounding quite happy himself.

"I don't know why he's so upset. The view must be so much nicer now."

"Oh yes, it's a quality establishment." Pippin said professionally. The tone itself almost made Mari burst out laughing, never mind his words. "I hear the staff are very good." Marina looked him up and down. He was no longer taller than her by such a large margin and she grinned. Then she noticed he was watching her watch him and blushed. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Oh, nothing. It's just…things are back to normal. That's all." Pippin frowned.

"No it isn't. I'm starving." He complained and she laughed.

"That's not exactly abnormal, is it? You're always starving Pip." She pointed out. When she looked back, Pippin was following a trail of floating apples. He soon abandoned those for a full roast chicken! She hurried after him happily. She was starving herself, and she was sick and tired of lambas bread. She grabbed a carafe of wine. She could tell with a single sniff that it was the expensive stuff. She followed Pippin who was following the trail of food and stopped in astonishment. "Saruman's storeroom!" she exclaimed. "No wonder he's panicking, all the real food is out here!" she said as she inspected the shelves. Pippin splashed over to a large barrel marked 'South Farthing' and just stared at it.

"I don't believe it." He muttered. Marina came over as well to see what he was making such a fuss about.

"Is that…?" she asked softly. Pippin grabbed a barrel and opened it.

"It is! Longbottom Leaf, the finest pipe weed in the south farthing." He muttered, taking a deep breath of the scent of the dry tobacco leaves. Marin laughed at him, munching on a chicken drumstick in one hand and sipping from the carafe of wine in the other. Pippin stuffed his pipe and lit it quickly, but savored the first puff with everything he had. He hopped up onto a counter and leaned back against the wall while Marina just laughed again. "It's just like my dream! Now all you need is a pretty dress and place out of the water to dance!" he teased. Marina smirked and crooked her finger at him. He leaned down, expecting her to whisper something in his ear. Instead, she kissed him on the cheek and spun away again. She grabbed an apple and munched it happily, and when she glanced at Pippin to see his face blushing bright red, her smile only grew. But she just splashed her way out of the store room; the roof looked like it'd be a good place to get out of the water so she could enjoy her food without getting it wet. And the smile never left her face.

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_Well that took longer than expected. Well, longer than i thought it would to remember that I hadn;t actually posted the final chapter of this story . I'm sooo sorry about that!_

_In any case, it's over! And I have to get my btut moving and get some good work done on Part three, which will be titled 'Finally...' Wll, that will have to wait until tomorrow at least, seeing as I have a HUGE midterm tomorrow that I am fully expecting to do badly on. So while i'm studying my butt off, you can settle down to wait for the next part to be written, lucky you! Or not..._

_Well, I hope you've enjoyed Part Two fo this series, and I hope you're as excited as i am for the next part. Please review and let me kow what you thought! Or you can throw large heavy objects at my head in order to make me hurry with the next part :P Toodles!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	10. Sequel Announcement

Sequel Announcement!

Thank you everyone for being so patient with me, it means more than you know! Anyways, I'm here to tell you that I have finally posted the first chapter to Part III of this story, 'Finally…'! I know, it took long enough, right?

I am fully aware that a good many of you have probably forgotten all about this story, considering it's been months since I posted the final chapter in Part II. But Arianna and Marina have been bugging me a lot lately, so I've finally managed to get the story almost completely finished! Thank goodness for stubborn characters :P

And so without further ado, I hope you enjoy Part III ^^

Your Humble Authoress,

Whisperwings


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